Post by : Rameen Ariff

Six personnel of the Pakistan Army, among them Captain Noman Saleem, were killed in a violent exchange with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. The incident marks a fresh surge in insecurity along the country’s porous Afghan frontier after the TTP abandoned a ceasefire in 2022.

The firefight unfolded during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Dogar area, long identified as a conduit for cross-border militants. The ISPR said the mission targeted fighters described by the military as Fitna al-Khawarij — militants linked to the banned TTP network — and that seven militants were killed in the operation.

The army paid tribute to Captain Noman Saleem, a 24-year-old medical officer from Mianwali, saying he displayed conspicuous bravery and attained shahadat alongside five of his soldiers. The other fallen were named as Havaldar Amjad Ali (39, Swabi), Naik Waqas Ahmad (36, Rawalpindi), Sepoy Aijaz Ali (23, Shikarpur), Sepoy Muhammad Waleed (23, Jhelum) and Sepoy Muhammad Shahbaz (32, Khairpur).

Security units immediately undertook a sanitisation sweep to clear the area of any remaining militants. The ISPR reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to its counterterrorism campaign, Azm-e-Istehkam, stating that operations to root out both externally supported and domestic terrorism will continue unabated.

Kurram, which borders Afghanistan, has repeatedly been targeted by infiltrators and remains a hotspot for attacks on security personnel. Provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) figures cited in reports show 298 people have been killed in terrorist incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so far this year. Authorities say they have carried out 2,366 intelligence-based operations, arrested 1,124 militants and killed 368 terrorists in encounters, while 6,181 suspects have been charged in terrorism-related cases.

Officials have also stepped up action against extortion networks, registering 1,287 cases, charging 209 suspects and making 52 arrests as part of ongoing enforcement efforts.

The deadly clash in Kurram underlines the enduring threat from the TTP in northern Pakistan and the heavy toll borne by security forces. Local communities and authorities continue to face the humanitarian and security challenges posed by escalating militant activity in the province.

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