Security forces kill 13 terrorists in K-P operations, says ISPR

Ten India-backed khawarij killed in a Lakki Marwat, while three others were killed in exchange of fire in DI Khan

Security forces killed 13 'India-backed' terrorists in two intelligence-based operations carried out across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on November 20 and 21, the military said on Friday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the terrorists, described as members of the “Indian-proxy Fitna al-Khawarij network”, were taken out in separate engagements in Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

According to the ISPR, security forces and law enforcement agencies launched a joint intelligence-based operation in the general area of Paharkhel, Lakki Marwat, after receiving reports about the presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, ten khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement said.

A second operation was conducted in Dera Ismail Khan, where troops “effectively neutralised” three more terrorists following an exchange of fire. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the “Indian-sponsored khawarij,” who, the ISPR said, were involved in multiple attacks on security forces, law enforcement agencies and in the targeted killing of civilians.

Sanitisation operations are under way in the affected areas to clear any remaining threat, the statement added. The ISPR reiterated that the “relentless” counterterrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam — approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan — would continue at full pace to dismantle what it described as foreign-sponsored militant networks operating against the state.