What happened
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that a major was killed and 12 alleged terrorists were neutralised in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major Hafiz Ihsan Elahi, 34, a resident of Mianwali district, embraced martyrdom while leading his troops during an operation in the Razmak area of North Waziristan District. The ISPR said five militants belonging to what it called the “Indian proxy, Fitna Al Khwarij” were killed in the same operation. It described the officer as “a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front” who “fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice” and embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, the ISPR said, adding that they had been involved in attacks on security forces and law enforcement agencies as well as in the killing of civilians.
The Nushki operation
In a separate statement, the ISPR said security forces killed seven alleged “Indian-sponsored terrorists”, including a would-be suicide bomber, in an intelligence-based operation in Nushki District, Balochistan, on the night of 30/31 July.
It said the operation was launched on reports of the presence of terrorists belonging to “Fitna al-Hindustan”, the state’s term for organisations it says operate in Balochistan. A hideout was identified, kept under surveillance and destroyed, and ammunition, explosives and improvised explosive devices found there were destroyed at the site, the military added.
Sanitisation operations were continuing in both areas. The ISPR said the counterterrorism campaign under Vision Azm-i-Istehkam would continue “at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”
Why it matters
The operations were announced a day after Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said the state would not retreat “even an inch” in its fight against terrorism, and as Pakistan’s security forces pressed a nationwide counterterrorism campaign. On 29 July, the ISPR had said 32 alleged terrorists were killed in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Pakistan has recorded a sharp rise in militant violence since the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and announced a resumption of attacks across the country. The details in this report come from the military’s statements and have not been independently verified.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 1 August 2026.
- Pakistan Today — "Major martyred, 12 terrorists killed in North Waziristan, Nushki IBOs: ISPR"1 August 2026 · The Razmak operation, Major Hafiz Ihsan Elahi's martyrdom, the Nushki raid and the recovered weapons and explosives.
- WE News English — "Pakistan Security Forces Kill Five Indian Sponsored Terrorists In North Waziristan"1 August 2026 · The officer's age and home district, and the Azm-i-Istehkam framing of the operations.
