A joint counter-terrorism operation by police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Upper Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province entered its third day, with the death toll of militants rising to eight, including a key commander identified as Sajjad. According to DPO Syed Muhammad Bilal, Sajjad’s body was recovered from a militant hideout during a search operation in the Hatan Dara area.

Police sources report that several militant hideouts have been seized during the operation. Five bodies of the eight militants killed have been recovered, with the search for the remaining three ongoing. Authorities state the targeted operation is progressing successfully, aiming to improve the security situation in the region.

These developments follow a series of clashes between security forces and militants over the weekend and the preceding day, resulting in the deaths of five security personnel and three civilians, including a two-year-old child. Several police officers were also injured in these clashes. Officials reported at least seven militants were killed in these encounters. Intense clashes in Upper and Lower Dir on Sunday night left five suspected militants dead and seven police officers wounded. Authorities stated that an exchange of fire in the Dubando area of Upper Dir lasted several hours, resulting in the deaths of two civilians in the Hatan Dara area due to crossfire. A senior official from the police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) told Dawn that the bodies of all five militants were in police custody and that these militants may have had cross-border links to Afghanistan. A separate exchange of fire occurred in the Lajbuk Dara area of Lower Dir, resulting in no casualties, but the militants set fire to several vehicles, including two police pick-up trucks and a car. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility on social media, sharing footage and claiming to have seized and destroyed the vehicles.

In July of last year, the government designated the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al-Khawarij” and instructed all agencies to use the term “Khawarij” (outlaws) for those responsible for terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Recent terrorist attacks have primarily targeted police, law enforcement officials, and security forces. In response, the state has intensified its counter-terrorism operations.