Pakistani security forces have killed eight terrorists in two operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, police and the military’s media wing said.
Swat: three TTP terrorists killed
Three wanted terrorists of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in a joint intelligence-based operation by the Swat Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and district police on Thursday, The Express Tribune reported. Two of their companions fled and are being hunted.
The CTD had received confirmed intelligence that several terrorists linked to the group of TTP commander Muzaffar alias Khalid were in the mountains of Segram, Lalo Banda and nearby areas under Kanju police station, planning sabotage.
When the terrorists spotted the security personnel at Sakhadoob, they opened fire, took positions inside a nearby house and kept firing. After the exchange ended, police found three bodies in the house.
- Recovered: three Kalashnikov rifles, six magazines and a large quantity of ammunition, along with a map of Shakardara police station, a diary and identity cards
- Identified: Abdullah and Mansoor Ali of Neela Gram, Matta, and Ghufranullah of Shidala, Shakardara
- Past attacks: preliminary information links them to several attacks this year, including a firing attack on Afzal Khan Gujjar, firing on the house of Nemat Ali Khan and the targeted killing of Saleemullah alias Sajid of Neela Gram
Washuk: five Fitna al-Hindustan terrorists killed
In Balochistan, security forces killed five terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan, the term the state uses for India-backed groups in the province, in an operation in Washuk district on the night of October 12-13, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
“During the conduct of the operation, a terrorist hideout was busted by security forces through swift and decisive action,” ISPR said, adding that five Indian-sponsored terrorists were neutralised. State media had earlier reported that four more were injured and that advanced weapons and ammunition were recovered under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3.
Leaders praise the forces
President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces, saying: “Conspiracies by terrorists’ foreign sponsors and their local facilitators will be foiled at all costs.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the operations would continue “with full force and complete national support until terrorism was completely eliminated from the country”. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said: “We are proud of the brave personnel of the security forces who foiled the nefarious designs of Fitna al-Hindustan terrorists.”
A surge in terrorism
Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks in recent months. Last week, 12 people were killed in a blast at a checkpoint in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan, claimed by the TTP. On September 19, 23 people, including 15 police personnel, were martyred in a blast at a mosque in Kohat’s Police Lines.
Why it matters
From the valleys of Swat to the deserts of Washuk, Pakistan’s police and armed forces are taking the fight to the terrorists who have killed so many civilians and soldiers this year. Each hideout destroyed is one less threat to Pakistani families. Read our reports on the Afghan Taliban’s drone campaign and on the Fatah-2 missile test.
This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune, Dawn and ISPR.
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