(MENAFN) At least 11 Pakistani military personnel, including two senior officers, were killed during a fierce firefight with militants in the country’s northwest, the military announced on Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, troops launched an intelligence-driven raid late Tuesday in the Orakzai district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

During the operation, security forces engaged in a heavy exchange of fire, killing 19 militants through what the military described as “effective engagement.” However, the clash also resulted in significant losses for the Pakistani side.

“Lt. Col. Junaid Arif, 39, along with second in command Major Tayyab Rahat, 33, paid the ultimate sacrifice,” the statement said. The two officers were among the 11 military personnel who lost their lives.

This marks one of the deadliest incidents for Pakistani forces in recent months. Just weeks earlier, 12 soldiers were killed in a separate confrontation with militants in South Waziristan, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Militant attacks have surged across Pakistan in recent years, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing the Taliban-led government in Kabul of allowing Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters to operate from Afghan territory.

Afghanistan has consistently pushed back against these allegations.

“I wish to clearly state that no group exists in Afghanistan that uses our territory to create problems for other countries,” Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated during the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan held Tuesday.

Muttaqi further claimed Afghan intelligence had discovered that ISIS (Daesh) and other extremist factions were setting up training camps elsewhere in the region. “Which is a matter of concern for the Afghan government,” he added.

During the same conference, Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, emphasized Islamabad’s support for a “peaceful, stable, and secure Afghanistan,” while stressing the “urgent need for collective regional efforts to effectively counter terrorism and dismantle all terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil.”

Violence Spikes in Q3 of 2025
The latest attack underscores a worrying rise in nationwide violence. New data released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) shows that Pakistan recorded 901 deaths and 599 injuries in 329 terror-related incidents during the third quarter of 2025.

The report indicates a 46% jump in violence compared to the previous quarter, putting the country on course to surpass 2024’s toll of 2,546 fatalities. So far in 2025, 2,414 fatalities have already been logged.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remain the epicenters of the bloodshed, accounting for 96% of all violence. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone represented nearly 71% of the total fatalities—638 deaths—along with 67% of all incidents.

Balochistan followed with 230 deaths and 85 separate incidents.

The continuing violence highlights the growing challenge facing Pakistan’s security forces, as the country contends with a complex regional security environment and an emboldened militant presence.

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