Overview
- The military said intelligence-based operations on July 28–29 eliminated 32 militants across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with 24 killed in Khyber district and eight in Nushki, and weapons and IEDs recovered.
- Militants attacked the Khazina Banda police checkpost in Hangu late July 29, killing multiple police officers and wounding dozens while reinforcements were ambushed during a follow-up clearance operation.
- Official casualty counts for the Hangu incident vary across agencies and outlets, with reports placing police fatalities between seven and 11 and saying security forces killed between eight and 15 militants in the fighting.
- Police and the military said militants used evolving tactics including quadcopters with explosives and vehicle-borne IEDs, and separately reported destroying two VBIEDs and killing four militants in a Khuzdar operation.
- Security officials framed the actions as part of the Azm-e-Istehkam counterterror campaign and tied the violence to banned groups and alleged foreign proxies while the surge concentrates pressure on communities near the Afghan border.