Pakistan kills 29 militants near Afghan border after Karachi Rangers attack

Pakistan said its forces killed 29 militants in targeted operations along the Afghan border after the Karachi Rangers headquarters attack. The action underscores Islamabad's widening response to cross-border militancy and mounting security pressure.

In Short

• Forces targeted camps linked to Jamaat ul Ahrar and Fitna al khwarij
• Officials said precise strikes destroyed three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar
• Weapons and ammunition stored at militant hideouts were also destroyed

Pakistan on Monday said at least 29 militants were killed in an intelligence-based ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghan border, after a recent attack on a Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi. Information Minister Atta Tarar said the action was part of Pakistan's response to multiple terrorist incidents in the country.

According to Tarar, the operation targeted hideouts and safe havens of militants linked to Jamaat ul Ahrar and Fitna al khwarij. He said the action followed the attempt by terrorists to storm a paramilitary Rangers headquarters in Karachi on Saturday.

Tarar said the attacks were in reaction to recent militant incidents against people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Camp in Karachi. He said, "A well-planned intelligence-based ground operation was carried out by security forces along the Pakistan-Afghan border, followed by calibrated strikes in the border region against the hideouts and safe havens of terrorists belonging to Jamaat ul Ahrar and Fitna al khwarij, killing twenty-nine khwarij".

He added, "On June 28 2026, security forces conducted an intelligence-based ground operation against a group of terrorists near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." He also said that, in continuation of 'Operation Ghazb Lil Haq', and based on credible intelligence, precise targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Jamaat ul Ahrar and Fitna al khwarij was carried out on the night of June 28-29 in the border region.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on February 26 in response to alleged attacks by Afghan Taliban forces at 53 locations along the 2,600-km border. Tarar said, "Three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar were destroyed during precision strikes, killing twenty-five terrorists. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at these Marakiz and hideouts were also destroyed."

Earlier, the Army said three soldiers were killed in the attack on the Rangers building in Karachi. It said forces killed three attackers in retaliatory fire, while one terrorist was injured and arrested. Banned Jamatul Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to sources, the injured rebel told investigators that he belonged to Afghanistan and that the attack was planned there with the help of a local terrorist from Bajaur. Pakistan has been accusing the Taliban regime in Kabul of supporting terrorists involved in cross-border attacks.

Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years, with authorities blaming the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Monday's announcement linked the latest border operation to that wider security situation and the Karachi attack.

With PTI Inputs

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