Pakistan

Key figures

Estimates as of 30 September 2026 · reviewed 19 October 2026

Total killed (cumulative)

48,863–66,650

as of 30 September 2026

Civilians killed

10,118–24,099

as of 30 September 2026

Combatants killed

10,429

as of 30 September 2026

Deaths, last 12 months

1,342–2,165

recorded fatalities

Duration

3 years, 10 months

since 28 November 2022

Read these numbers carefully. They are compiled from the sources listed below (UN agencies, conflict-data projects such as UCDP and ACLED, governments, NGOs and news organisations) whose methods differ — some count only documented deaths, others estimate excess mortality. Ranges show the spread between sources; a single figure means only one credible estimate exists. Nothing on this page is a live counter: figures change only when the page is reviewed and rebuilt. For scale, the mid-point of the last-12-months range works out to roughly 4.8 deaths per day on average over the past year — an average, not a current rate. Overall confidence in the casualty picture: medium.

Who is fighting

Parties, allies and estimated forces

Forces & groups

Pakistan Army
Frontier Corps (KP)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and Counter-Terrorism Department
Pakistan Air Force
Local peace committees (lashkars)

External support

China (reported pressure on Kabul)

Estimated strength

≈ 200,000 troops committed to the north-west (2010–2017 estimate) plus 20,000–40,000 Frontier Corps; the army reported 74 notable counter-terrorism operations in September 2026 alone source ↗

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied militants

Forces & groups

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (Hafiz Gul Bahadur group and others)
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar
Lashkar-e-Islam
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (claimed)

External support

Afghan Taliban (alleged by Pakistan and UN monitoring reports; denied by Kabul)

Estimated strength

unknown; several thousand fighters, many based in eastern Afghanistan (older estimate: about 25,000 in 2014) source ↗

Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Islamic State Pakistan Province

Forces & groups

ISKP
ISPP

External support

None

Estimated strength

unknown; claimed the 6 Feb 2026 Islamabad Shia mosque bombing (at least 31–36 killed) source ↗

Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.

Background

Origins, phases and the current situation

Militancy in Pakistan's north-west took root after 2004, when the army entered the tribal areas to pursue al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban fighters. The TTP, formed in December 2007, seized control of Swat and much of the tribal belt and carried out attacks across Pakistan, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre. Large offensives (Zarb-e-Azb from 2014, Radd-ul-Fasaad from 2017) pushed most fighters into Afghanistan and violence fell sharply by 2019.

The Afghan Taliban's return to Kabul in August 2021 revived the TTP, which regrouped in Kunar, Khost and Paktika. A ceasefire negotiated by Pakistan collapsed on 28 November 2022, and attacks have climbed every year since. Islamabad holds the Afghan Taliban responsible for sheltering the TTP, which Kabul denies; this dispute led to the October 2025 border war and the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war.

In 2025 the TTP's allies formed Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, which claimed the September 2026 Kohat police-lines attack (31 killed). The Islamic State's Khorasan branch adds sectarian mass-casualty bombings, including the February 2026 attack on a Shia mosque in Islamabad. Pakistan has responded with the Sarbakaf operation (July 2025), continuous intelligence-based operations that kill hundreds of militants a month, air strikes inside Afghanistan, and in October 2026 the dismissal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's elected PTI government, whom Islamabad accused of obstructing counter-terrorism.

Recent developments

Latest events · newest first

15 October 2026Parliament endorses the emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid opposition protests. source ↗
11 October 2026Federal government invokes Articles 232 and 234 to impose emergency and governor's rule in KP, blaming the provincial government for disengaging from counter-terrorism. source ↗
2 October 2026PICSS: 225 militant attacks in September 2026, the most in 12 years, killing 259; including security operations at least 545 people died (103 security personnel, 81 civilians, 346 militants, 15 peace-committee members). source ↗
2 October 2026CRSS Q3 2026 report: 1,415 violence-linked deaths nationwide (254 civilians, 240 security personnel, 921 militants), of which 556 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. source ↗
18 September 2026Twin suicide attack and 22-hour siege at Kohat's Old Police Lines kills 31 and wounds 103; claimed by Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan. source ↗
1 September 2026PICSS August report: 199 militant attacks and 369 deaths nationwide; 54 security personnel killed; KP recorded 104 deaths on the mainland and 67 in the merged districts. source ↗
8 June 2026TTP attack on the outskirts of Peshawar and a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar attack in Karachi (27 June) trigger Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan's border provinces. source ↗

Timeline

Key events since 28 November 2022

16 March 2004Pakistani army operations begin in South Waziristan; the tribal insurgency starts.
14 December 2007Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan formed under Baitullah Mehsud.
15 June 2014Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan; the 16 December 2014 Peshawar school massacre kills over 140.
15 August 2021Afghan Taliban take Kabul; the TTP regroups in eastern Afghanistan.
28 November 2022TTP ends its ceasefire with Islamabad and orders nationwide attacks.
30 January 2023Suicide bombing of Peshawar's police-lines mosque kills over 100.
1 April 2025Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan alliance formed around the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
29 July 2025Pakistan launches Operation Sarbakaf in Bajaur and other districts.
1 January 2026PICSS reports 2025 as the deadliest year in a decade: 3,413 combat deaths nationwide.
6 February 2026ISKP suicide bombing of a Shia mosque in Islamabad kills at least 31–36 and wounds about 170.
21 February 2026Pakistan's strikes on TTP camps in Afghanistan escalate into the Afghanistan–Pakistan war.
18 September 2026Kohat police-lines assault kills 31; Pakistan resumes air strikes in Afghanistan.
11 October 2026Emergency and governor's rule imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the PTI provincial government is dismissed.

Casualties and displacement in detail

Low and high estimates with their sources

Measure	Low	High	What the figure covers · source
Total killed (cumulative)	48,863	66,650	Cumulative deaths in Pakistan's war on terror in the north-west: SATP 48,863 (2004–Feb 2025, including 10,118 civilians); Costs of War Project 66,650 (2001–Aug 2021, including 24,099 civilians). Methodologies and periods differ. en.wikipedia.org ↗
Combatants killed	10,429	10,429	Pakistani soldiers, paramilitary and police killed since 2004 (SATP, Jan 2026). In 2025 alone PICSS counted 667 security personnel killed nationwide, the most since 2011. en.wikipedia.org ↗
Civilians killed	10,118	24,099	SATP (to Feb 2025) vs Costs of War (to Aug 2021). PICSS counted 580 civilians killed nationwide in 2025. dawn.com ↗
Wounded	–	–	No cumulative figure; CRSS counted 376 injured in KP in Q3 2026 alone. crss.pk ↗
Deaths in the last 12 months	1,342	2,165	KP only: 1,342 deaths Jan–Sep 2026 (CRSS quarterly reports) and 2,165 in Jan–Nov 2025 (CRSS); the 12-month figure to Sept 2026 lies between these. Nationwide PICSS: 3,413 deaths in 2025 (2,138 militants, 667 security personnel, 580 civilians); 545 deaths in Sept 2026 alone. crss.pk ↗
Internally displaced	–	–	No current figure; past offensives displaced over 3.4 million people (2009). UNHCR reported about 3,000 displaced on the Pakistani side by the 2026 border war. en.wikipedia.org ↗
Refugees abroad	–	–	Not applicable.

Intensity classification: CRSS: 1,342 violence-linked deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Jan–Sep 2026 (Q1 311, Q2 475, Q3 556) and 2,165 in Jan–Nov 2025; nationwide, PICSS counted 3,413 deaths in 2025 (the deadliest year in a decade) and CRSS 3,002 in Jan–Sep 2026. Figures include militants killed in security operations..

Countries affected

Live population · open a country for its full profile

Pakistan · 260,511,004 people

Frequently asked questions

Who is fighting in the Pakistan — TTP insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?

Pakistan (Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (KP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and Counter-Terrorism Department, Pakistan Air Force, …), supported by China (reported pressure on Kabul); against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied militants (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (Hafiz Gul Bahadur group and others), Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Lashkar-e-Islam, …), supported by Afghan Taliban (alleged by Pakistan and UN monitoring reports; denied by Kabul); against Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISKP, ISPP), supported by None.

How many people have been killed?

Estimates range from 48,863–66,650 killed as of 30 September 2026. Cumulative deaths in Pakistan's war on terror in the north-west: SATP 48,863 (2004–Feb 2025, including 10,118 civilians); Costs of War Project 66,650 (2001–Aug 2021, including 24,099 civilians). Methodologies and periods differ. Civilian deaths are put at 10,118–24,099. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.

Is the Pakistan — TTP insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa still ongoing in 2026?

Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied factions such as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group (Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan) wage a daily campaign of ambushes, IED attacks, targeted killings and occasional mass-casualty assaults against Pakistani security forces, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's former tribal districts and southern belt. Violence reached its highest levels since 2014 in 2025 and rose again in the second half of 2026; September 2026 saw the most militant attacks in 12 years. The insurgency is now entangled with the Afghanistan–Pakistan war, and on 11 October 2026 the federal government put Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under emergency and governor's rule.

When did it start?

The current phase began on 28 November 2022, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2004 — 3 years, 10 months ago.

Sources

Where these figures come from

PICSS Monthly Insight — September 2026 picss.net
CRSS Security Report Q3 2026 crss.pk
CRSS Security Report Q2 2026 crss.pk
Dawn — PICSS 2025 annual figures dawn.com
SATP — Pakistan datasheets satp.org
Wikipedia — Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa en.wikipedia.org
The Diplomat — Emergency and governor's rule in KP (Oct 2026) thediplomat.com

More conflicts

Asia and connected conflicts

Myanmar civil war (military government vs NUG/PDF and ethnic armed organizations)

Afghanistan–Pakistan war (Taliban government vs Pakistan)

Balochistan insurgency (Baloch separatists vs Pakistan)

Naxalite–Maoist insurgency (India)

Thailand–Cambodia border conflict

Manipur ethnic violence (Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga communities)

Philippines — Islamist militancy in Mindanao (Dawlah Islamiya, BIFF remnants)

Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir (India)

⚔️ All tracked conflicts 📊 Pakistan statistics 📈 Country rankings

Cite or link to this page

Free to reuse with attribution

APA

Glostats. (2026). Pakistan — TTP insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2026). Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/conflicts/pakistan-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-insurgency/

HTML

<a href="https://glostats.com/conflicts/pakistan-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-insurgency/">Pakistan — TTP insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2026)</a> — Glostats

Figures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.

This page summarises publicly available reporting and does not take sides. Casualty and force figures are estimates compiled on 19 October 2026; see each figure's source for its method and date. Page generated 2026-10-20. How this tracker works.