ISLAMABAD 

At least eight suspected militants were killed during a clash with the Pakistan army in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, local media reported Wednesday.

The clash occurred in the Lowi Mamund area of Bajaur district after militants tried to cross into the district from Afghanistan's Kunar province, according to the Dawn daily, citing security sources.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, has not issued a statement so far.

Maulana Saifullah, the son of senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Ghazwan Swati, was also killed during the clash.

Last week, at least five people were killed, including Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, and 11 injured when militants targeted Ismail’s official vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Nawagai area of the Bajaur tribal district.

Terrorist attacks in Bajaur, one of the seven tribal districts—formerly called tribal agencies—bordering Afghanistan have increased in recent months.

In June, 78 militant attacks and counterterrorism operations occurred across the country, resulting in 175 fatalities -- 55 security personnel, 77 militants, 41 civilians and two tribal peace committee members -- while 189 people were injured, including 126 security force personnel and 63 civilians.

Over the first half of 2025, Pakistan experienced a worrying uptick in violence, documenting 502 militant attacks which claimed 737 lives, including 284 security personnel, 267 civilians, 180 militants and six peace committee members, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank.