Nearly 55,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes in the Bajaur tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Pakistani security forces launched a large-scale “targeted operation” against militants in the region bordering Afghanistan, a provincial lawmaker said to PTI on Monday.
The three-day offensive, which began earlier in the day, is aimed at dismantling militant hideouts and disrupting the operational networks of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Bajaur, one of the seven districts that were part of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), has long been a hotbed of militancy and was once considered a TTP stronghold.
According to the provincial Home Department, movement restrictions have been imposed in 27 localities across Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils. The curbs range from 12 hours in some areas to as long as 72 hours in others, as security forces conduct search-and-clear operations.
The displacement adds to an already fragile humanitarian situation in the northwest, where thousands of families have previously been uprooted by military operations over the past two decades. Officials said arrangements were being made to provide temporary shelter, food, and medical aid to those affected, though challenges remain due to the difficult terrain and security risks.
The TTP, which has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months, is accused of using cross-border sanctuaries in Afghanistan to launch assaults inside Pakistan. The Bajaur operation comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over the presence of TTP militants in Afghan territory.
- With inputs from PTI.
