Six soldiers martyred, 10 militants killed in North Waziristan and Hangu

Six Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred and 10 militants killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between 15 and 17 September 2026, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The soldiers died when an improvised explosive device struck a security forces convoy on 17 September. ISPR said six brave sons of the soil embraced shahadat in the blast. Their names were not released in the statement.

The two operations

Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed men. ISPR described them as belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, the term the military uses for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and said they were Indian-sponsored. Sanitisation operations are continuing in both areas.

Why the tempo has picked up

This is not an isolated week. Earlier in September, security forces reported 21 militants killed in similar operations, and 11 across KP and Balochistan the month before.

The longer trend is starker. Recorded terrorist attacks in Pakistan rose from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025, close to a fourfold increase in three years. North Waziristan, Bannu, Hangu, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan have carried most of it.

ISPR framed the operations under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision, the counter-terrorism campaign approved by the federal government in 2024.

What it means on the ground

For people living in the affected tehsils, a sanitisation operation usually means road closures, mobile service suspensions and curfew hours announced at short notice by the district administration. Travellers on the Bannu to Miranshah and Kohat to Hangu roads should check with the local administration before setting out rather than relying on route apps.

Schools and government offices in the immediate area are often shut for a day or two after an IED attack on a convoy.

The India allegation

ISPR has used the Indian-sponsored description consistently through 2026. India rejects the charge. The military has not published evidence with this particular statement, and Searchable is reporting the claim as ISPR's attribution rather than as an established fact.