24 terrorists killed in Bannu IBO
Security forces killed 24 terrorists in a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district and adjoining areas over the past 24 hours, following a recent spike in attacks on police and vehicle-borne suicide bombing in the district, the military's media wing said on Friday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were launched "in the backdrop of a recent surge in terrorist activities against Police and vehicle-borne suicide bombing in Bannu District, in which Indian Proxy Fitna Al Khawarij targeted law enforcement agencies and innocent civilians".
Fitna al-Khawarij is the term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"Security forces had initiated extensive joint intelligence-based operations to hunt the perpetrators of these heinous attacks and their support infrastructure," it added.
The military's media wing said, "In the last twenty-four hours following the fierce fire exchanges in Bannu district and adjoining areas, twenty-four khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij were killed".
The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed Khwarij, who "remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities and the killing of innocent civilians".
"The operations in the area will continue and perpetrators of these heinous and cowardly acts will be brought to justice, as the relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under the vision "Azm-e-Istehkam" (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces and law enforcement agencies for killing the terrorists.
In separate statements, the president and the prime minister said the security forces' timely and effective action against the elements responsible for attacks on police personnel and innocent civilians, particularly in Bannu, was commendable.
"The operations against Fitna al Khawarij and their facilitators working under Indian patronage will be taken to their logical conclusion," the president said, adding that the entire nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the security forces and law enforcement agencies.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said eliminating terrorists and their facilitators remained the government's top priority.
He reaffirmed the government's resolve to foil the nefarious designs of Indian-backed terrorist elements and bring those involved in attacks on security personnel and civilians to justice.