8 terrorists killed in North Waziristan
Security forces killed eight terrorists in North Waziristan on Wednesday along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the military's media wing said on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation targeted a group of khawarij affiliated with the Indian-backed Fitna al Khawarij network, a state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to ISPR, the movement of the terrorists along the border was detected by security personnel, who then engaged the terrorists with precision, and "weapons and ammunition were also recovered".
The statement said, "This engagement once again substantiates our repeated stance regarding the abject failure of the Afghan Taliban regime to ensure effective border management on their side. They must fulfill their obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by khawarij and the involvement of their citizens in terrorism inside Pakistan."
The statement added that sanitisation operations are underway to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area. The statement highlighted that the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision "Azm-e-Istehkam," approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue at full pace.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday paid tribute to the Security Forces for their successful operation against Fitna-al-Khawarij militants in North Waziristan, in which eight terrorists were killed near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a statement from the presidency, President Zardari commended the professionalism of the security forces for their effective and timely action against the terrorists. He added that the force's role in defending the homeland and safeguarding the country's borders was a matter of national pride. He also urged the Afghan interim government to ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
In a separate statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the officers and personnel of the Security Forces for their professional capabilities demonstrated during the operation and praised them for eliminating eight Khawarij terrorists. He reaffirmed that the fight against terrorism would continue until its complete eradication and said that he, along with the entire nation, stood shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan's armed forces in the country's unwavering resolve against terrorism.