Khyber was the code-name for a 2014–2017 military offensive conducted by

Pakistan's Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

in the

Khyber Agency Khyber District ( ps, خېبر ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; with the merger of FATA with Khyber Pak ...

in four phases; Khyber-1, Khyber-2, Khyber-3 and Khyber-4. Khyber Agency was among

seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with insurgents and militants. Terrorist organisations including Al Qaeda and

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

have had presence there. The plains of Bara held strategic significance for militant groups as they connect the agency to the outskirts of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. The key area also straddled the NATO supply line into

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The region has been long fought over by a mix of militant organisations, including the

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bo ...

(TTP), the Ansar ul Islam and Mangal Bagh's

Lashkar-e-Islam Lashkar-e-Islam ( ur, لشكرِ اسلام), (''LI'' or ''LeI'') literally ''Army of Islam'' also transliterated as Lashkar-e-Islami, Lashkar-i-Islam) is a militant terrorist organization active in and around Khyber Agency, Federally Administe ...

History

Operation Khyber was originally announced in 2014 as a part of Pakistan Army's extension of

Operation Zarb-e-Azb Operation Zarb-e-Azb (Pashto/ ur, ALA-LC: ) was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the ...

to parts of

. It was conducted in four phases, with Khyber-4 targeting

among other terrorist organizations.

Khyber-1

Amid failed attempts to negotiate with militants, Pakistan army declared the time to negotiate for terrorists operating in the restive

Tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administ ...

was over and that militants had no option but to either lay down arms or face a military crackdown. The operation 'Khyber-1' began with airstrikes against

outs in areas under the Mangal Bagh led group's control in

Tirah The Tirah also spelled Terah ( ps, تیراہ) also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous tract located in the Khyber district, lying between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan. Society Lying close to the Pak-Afghan borde ...

and Bara on 17 October 2014, Ultimately killing 21 militants and destroying their three key bases. Sources said the main aim of the operation was to clear Khyber from Bara to the border of

Tirah valley The Tirah also spelled Terah ( ps, تیراہ) also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous tract located in the Khyber district, lying between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan. Society Lying close to the Pak-Afghan borde ...

, following which the second phase of the operation will begin.

Khyber-2

Announced in February 2015 and launched in March 2015, Operation Khyber-2 was aimed to clear the

main target being

. The

Tirah Valley The Tirah also spelled Terah ( ps, تیراہ) also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous tract located in the Khyber district, lying between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan. Society Lying close to the Pak-Afghan borde ...

consists of deep valleys and high mountains, a suitable time of year was chosen, although resulting in many casualties of Pakistan Armed Forces, the operation was successful. The operation formally ended on 15 June 2015, marking a one-year anniversary of Operation Zarb-e-Azab.

Khyber-3

Launched on 16 August 2016, Khyber-3 intended to clear areas beyond the

closer to the

Durand Line The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...

nine militant dens were decimated along the border, Large dumps of arms and ammunitions were discovered, More than 40 terrorists were killed and 21 injured, the operation ended up greatly affecting the cross border movement of terrorists. The operation Khyber-3 was conceived ended with the start of Khyber-4.

Khyber-4

Operation Khyber-4 was announced on 15 July 2017 as part of Pakistan Army's ongoing offensive

Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad ( ur, ; ) is a codename of a combined military operation by the Pakistani military in support of local law enforcement agencies to disarm and eliminate the terrorist sleeper cells across all states of Pakistan, s ...

against militancy. Launched on 15 July 2017, phase I aimed to clear Rajgal valley, targeting Jamat-ul-Ahrar among other terrorist organizations, more than 13 terrorists were killed and 6 injured. A Pakistani soldier was also killed in exchange of fire. A total area of 90 kilometres was cleared with the help of

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

. The

Inter-Services Public Relations The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) ( ur, ), is the media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's civilian media and the civic society. The ISPR directo ...

(ISPR) announced the end of first phase of Operation Khyber-4 on 21 July 2017, declaring the operation to be successful. On 21 August 2017, Director General ISPR Maj Gen

Asif Ghafoor Asif Ghafoor (Urdu: آصِف غفور ) is a Lieutenant General in the Pakistan Army. Currently serving as Quetta Corps Commander, he was previously appointed as Inspector General for Communication & Information Technology. He was the 20th Dir ...

announced the successful completion of Operation Khyber-4. The ground objectives in the Rajgal and Shawal valleys were achieved. During the campaign, 52 terrorists were killed, 32 injured, four surrendered and one was arrested. Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army were also killed in the six-week long counter-terrorism operation.

Belligerents

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

Lashkar-e-Islam ( ur, لشكرِ اسلام), (''LI'' or ''LeI'') (literally ''Army of Islam'') is a militant organization active in and around

Federally Administered Tribal Areas , conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas , nation = Pakistan , subdivision = Autonomous territory , image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg , image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. LeI was founded in 2004 by

Mufti Munir Shakir Munir Shakir is a Deobandi Islamic scholar and militant active in Pakistan. Early life Shakir was born into a Pashtun family of the Khattak clan in the Karak District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Radio ministry Shakir became known after he moved to ...

. Currently the organization is headed by

Mangal Bagh Mangal Bagh (1973 – 28 January 2021), also known as Mangal Bagh Afridi, was the leader of Lashkar-e-Islam, a militant group operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Nangarhar, Afghanistan on 28 January 2 ...

. LeI had control in

and Bara. *

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (, "Assembly of the Free," abbreviated as JuA) was a terrorist organization that split away from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in August 2014. The group came to prominence after it claimed responsibility for the 2014 Wagah border suic ...

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is a militant Islamist group that split away from the

in August 2014. On 9 November 2014, JuA spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan confirmed that Abu Jandal was leading a contingent of 50 fighters in battle against the Pakistani security forces in Tirah. He further said that 50 more fighters would soon be on their way to the valley. *

Tehrik-i-Taliban is an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

of various Islamist militant groups based in the northwestern

along the Afghan border in

is reported to have requested TTP and other militant groups to send their fighters to the Tirah valley to support LI. The TTP had announced it would send fighters to join LI.

Preparations

security forces had blocked all entry and exit points of Bara at least two days ahead of the Khyber-1 military operation.

Timeline

* On 16 October 2014, twenty-one suspected militants were killed and five hideouts were destroyed in air strikes on the militant group

in the

Aka Khel Aka Khel or Akakhel is an area of Landi Kotal Tehsil, Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan located in the Tirah Valley. Census Information As of 2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War A ...

area. * On 17 October 2014, at least nine suspected militants were killed and 10 others were injured in an operation in the Bara area. * On 25 October 2014, 18 militants were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Khyber Agency's Khyber district near the Afghan border. * On 29 October 2014, Twenty militants were killed and eight others were injured in airstrikes by Pakistan Air Force in Akka Khel area of the Khyber Agency. * On 9 November 2014, at least 27 militants were killed and two soldiers died as security forces carried out strikes in Akakhel and Tirah areas. Those killed included a key militant commander and two suicide bombers. Ten militant hideouts and an ammunition depot were also destroyed, according to ISPR. * On 11 November 2014, at least nine militants were killed and 12 others injured in a clash between security forces and militants in the Akakhel area of Bara Agency. Four key militant commanders also surrendered to authorities. * On 12 November 2014, at least 19 militants were killed during air strikes in Sandapal and Akakhel areas of Khyber Agency. According to the ISPR, an important militant commander was also killed. Furthermore, the air strikes destroyed at least five militant hideouts and an ammunition depot in the area. * On 21 November 2014, at least twenty-two militants were killed in airstrikes against militant hideouts in various parts of Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, according to ISPR. * On 28 November 2014 at least 11 suspected militants were killed and five hideouts were destroyed in airstrikes in Tirah valley. * On 29 November 2014, Two Taliban commanders were killed in a clash with the security forces in Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber Agency. Official sources said that the clash occurred in Lashora area of Jamrud which left militant commanders of

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

, Abubakar and Wajid, dead. * On 30 April 2015, security forces captured the strong holds at Sandapal, Tordara, Kundwala and Mehrban Killay in

after an intense battle with terrorists. As a result, 27 terrorists were killed while 5 soldiers including an officer "Captain Ajmal" were

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em *http://www.dawn.com/news/1143342 *http://www.dawn.com/news/1140458 Khyber Wars involving the Taliban 2010s in Pakistan Pakistan Army Pakistan Air Force Wars involving Pakistan Khyber Khyber Khyber Khyber District Khyber 2014 in Pakistan 2015 in Pakistan