Security forces kill five terrorists in North Waziristan operation

Security forces killed five terrorists and wounded two others in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan on Tuesday, Radio Pakistan reported, citing security sources.

The forces targeted hideouts of Fitna al-Khawarij, the term the state uses for terrorists of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in North Waziristan and nearby areas, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported.

Tracked, then struck

According to security sources, the forces had been continuously monitoring the terrorists’ movements before carrying out what they called a decisive operation. They said the security forces remain committed to wiping out terrorism and establishing lasting peace under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision.

Leaders praise the forces

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the security forces for the operation.

“The timely and effective actions of the security forces are playing an important role in foiling the nefarious designs of terrorist elements,” the president said.

The prime minister said operations against terrorism would continue until it is completely eliminated, and that eradicating terrorism and securing lasting peace under Azm-e-Istehkam was the government’s top priority.

A steady stream of operations

Tuesday’s raid is the latest in a run of operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:

• October 5: four terrorists killed in an IBO in Dera Ismail Khan
• October 2: seven terrorists killed in an IBO in North Waziristan
• September 30: three terrorists killed in Mir Ali
• September 29: five terrorists killed in the Bara area
• September 15 to 17: 10 terrorists killed in separate operations in KP
• September 3 to 5: more than 20 terrorists killed in multiple engagements

The attacks behind them

The operations follow a surge in terrorist violence over the past three months:

• September 26: 12 people killed and 35 injured in a suicide blast at the Aman Mela checkpoint in DI Khan’s Darazinda tehsil, claimed by the TTP
• Kohat, last month: 23 people, including 15 police personnel, martyred in an attack on the old Police Lines; eight attackers were killed in a clearance operation. The Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur group’s Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan claimed it
• Hangu: a captain and a lieutenant were among six security personnel martyred in an exchange of fire, in which eight terrorists were killed

KP, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August, up from 36 in July, an increase of 50 percent, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The Afghan link

Pakistan says many of these attacks are planned from Afghan soil. At the Moscow Format talks on Monday, Pakistan’s special representative Mohammad Sadiq said more than 4,700 Pakistanis had been killed in the last three years by terrorism coming from Afghanistan, and called on the Taliban to end the impunity of terrorist groups.

Why it matters

North Waziristan remains one of the main battlegrounds in Pakistan’s fight against the TTP. Regular intelligence-led raids are keeping pressure on militant networks, while soldiers and police continue to pay a heavy price to protect the people of the province. Read our reports on Khawaja Asif’s remarks on KP security and on Pakistan’s statement at the Moscow talks.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, The Express Tribune and Radio Pakistan.