ISPR said six members of the security forces were also killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) struck a convoy on 17 September.
An intelligence-based operation was carried out in North Waziristan after reports of militant presence in the area. Security forces engaged the militants in an intense exchange of fire, killing six of them, ISPR said.
In a separate encounter in Hangu district, four more militants were killed, bringing the total number killed in the operations to 10.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who, according to ISPR, had been involved in several terrorist activities in the area.
Separately, an IED attack on a security forces convoy on 17 September resulted in the deaths of six soldiers, the military said.
Sanitisation operations are continuing in the areas to locate and eliminate any remaining militants, ISPR said.
The military said counter-terrorism operations under Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, would continue.
According to ISPR, the campaign is aimed at countering foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism in Pakistan.
The military said the deaths of the soldiers strengthened the armed forces’ resolve to protect the country.
Pakistan has experienced increased militant violence since 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, following the return of the Afghan Taliban to power.
A report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said the two provinces remained Pakistan’s main hotspots for violence during the second quarter of 2026, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the worst-affected region.
The report said KP and Balochistan together accounted for nearly 96% of all violence-related fatalities recorded during the quarter.
KP recorded more than 61% of the deaths, with 475 fatalities, while Balochistan accounted for 34%, with 265 deaths.
KP also reported the highest number of violent incidents, with 151 cases, or 57% of the national total. Balochistan recorded 94 incidents, accounting for 35%.
