Pak Army captain, five soldiers killed in fierce clash with TTP near Afghan border

A Pakistani Army captain and five soldiers were killed in a fierce clash with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants near the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, the military said on October 29.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army’s media wing, the soldiers were martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Dogar area, where at least seven militants were also killed. The operation targeted members of Fitna al-Khawarij — the term used by the Army for fighters affiliated with the banned TTP.

The fallen officer was identified as Captain Noman Saleem, a 24-year-old medical officer from Mianwali who, the Army said, “fought gallantly and embraced shahadat along with his men.” The other martyrs included 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).

The Kurram district, which shares a porous border with Afghanistan, has witnessed frequent infiltration attempts and militant strikes in recent months, underscoring Pakistan’s mounting security challenges in its northwestern and southwestern regions.

A sanitisation operation was continuing in the area “to eliminate any remaining terrorists,” the ISPR said, reaffirming that the ongoing counterterrorism campaign Azm-e-Istehkam would continue “at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism.”

The latest clash adds to a growing list of deadly encounters since the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in late 2022. According to a report by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), 298 people have been killed in terrorist incidents across the province this year. Security forces have carried out 2,366 intelligence-based operations, resulting in the killing of 368 militants and the arrest of 1,124 others.

The report also noted an intensified crackdown on extortion networks, with 1,287 cases registered and over 200 suspects charged.

As Pakistan steps up its counterterror efforts, recent losses highlight both the ferocity of its campaign and the enduring threat of militancy festering along the Afghan frontier.