(MENAFN) At least 34 militants were killed in sweeping military operations carried out by Pakistani security forces in the volatile northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country’s army said Thursday.

In a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s public affairs wing, the targeted operations spanned three key districts — Bannu, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan — from October 13 to 15. All three regions lie along Pakistan’s rugged border with Afghanistan, an area long plagued by insurgent activity.

According to ISPR, the largest confrontation took place in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan, where 18 militants were killed in what the army described as an intelligence-driven mission. An additional eight militants were eliminated in nearby South Waziristan.

Security forces also "successfully neutralized another eight militants" during a separate engagement in Bannu district, the statement said.

These latest operations come on the heels of a similar offensive last week in Orakzai district, where Pakistani forces reportedly killed 30 militants. Those individuals, the army claimed, were involved in a recent deadly assault on security personnel.

Militant violence has been on the rise in Pakistan, particularly in tribal border regions. Officials in Islamabad have repeatedly blamed the Afghan Taliban administration for harboring militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a charge Kabul has consistently rejected.

Afghan authorities insist they are committed to regional peace and deny any role in facilitating cross-border violence. “It remains committed to preventing its territory from being used for cross-border attacks,” Afghan officials said, responding to Islamabad’s allegations.

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