Pakistan’s Bajaur boils over: 30 TTP militants killed as Army blows up mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

File Photo - Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand guard at Torkham border crossing, in Khyber district, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021.

At least 30 militants of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed on Thursday when Pakistani security forces blew up a mosque being used as a hideout in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources told CNN-News18. Several others were left injured in the powerful strike, carried out as part of Islamabad’s counter-terrorism operations in the tribal belt.

The target -- a mosque repurposed by the TTP -- underlines a grim reality: places of worship in Pakistan’s frontier regions continue to double as terror sanctuaries. Despite years of military campaigns like Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, the TTP and its affiliates remain entrenched in the restive belt bordering Afghanistan.

The action came barely a day after a Pakistan Army convoy was attacked in Bajaur. A powerful explosion ripped through the vehicle column on Wednesday, reportedly killing and injuring several soldiers. Intense firing followed the blast, sparking chaos in the district. Videos from the area, shared by open-source intelligence handles, showed smoke rising over Inayat Kalle, Bajaur’s biggest commercial hub. News18 could not independently verify the clips.

While Pakistan’s security establishment has touted the mosque strike as a “success,” the broader picture is grim. Bajaur and adjoining tribal areas have become a revolving door of militancy, with terror groups striking at will and the Army retaliating in piecemeal fashion. The fact that a mosque had to be blown up to flush out extremists highlights Islamabad’s complete failure to choke recruitment and dismantle TTP networks.

For years, Pakistan nurtured militants as “strategic assets” against India and Afghanistan. Today, the same outfits are tearing into its own soil, leaving its forces stretched and civilians terrorized. Bajaur, once marketed by Islamabad as “stabilized,” is now back to being a war zone.

Whether Thursday’s strike was an isolated operation or linked to the convoy attack remains unclear. What is certain, however, is that Pakistan’s tribal belt remains a bleeding wound -- one of its own making, and one it seems increasingly powerless to heal.