11 terrorists killed in K-P, Balochistan operations

PESHAWAR/ QUETTA:

Security forces killed 11 terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, targeting suspected members of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan, Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday, citing security sources.

"11 terrorists of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan were killed by security forces during intelligence-based operations in K-P and Balochistan," Radio Pakistan quoted security sources as saying.

According to the sources, the operations, which were carried out in South Waziristan and Bannu in K-P and Khuzdar district in Balochistan, also resulted in the recovery of weapons and ammunition and the destruction of a terrorists' hideout.

The federal government last year officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindustan, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these outfits. Fitna al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The high-tempo intelligence-driven operations were conducted as part of the ongoing Rad-ul-Fitna-3 campaign, which the military's media wing has described as a counterterrorism operation aimed at eliminating Indian proxies.

In Bannu, "two terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Khawarij were killed, with weapons and ammunition recovered. The terrorists' hideout was also destroyed using explosives," the sources said.

Five terrorists were killed during an IBO in the Ladha area of South Waziristan. Security forces had tracked the movement of the terrorists following a tip-off and surrounded them before launching an operation, the sources said.

In Sasol, in Khuzdar district, four terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan were killed. Security forces targeted the terrorists with the help of quadcopters, according to security sources.

The sources said, "the operations were conducted with measures in place to protect civilians and that no loss of life or property among the local population was reported."

Security forces would continue operations under the government's "Azm-e-Istehkam" vision until the threat of terrorism was eliminated, the security sources concluded.

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for their successful operation against terrorists in Bannu. "Eradicating terrorist elements operating with foreign backing, including Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij, is essential for national security and sustainable peace," he added.

The president said we will not rest until Pakistan is rid of the scourge of terrorism. "The nation is proud of the professional capabilities and achievements of the security forces and law enforcement agencies," he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to security forces for a successful operation against terrorists in Bannu district. He praised the security forces for killing 11 terrorists during the operation. "The entire nation stood with the security forces in the war against terrorism," he said.

"We were determined to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country," he added.

Meanwhile, on August 18, security forces killed more than nine terrorists in different IBOs in Ziarat, Harnai and Surab districts of Balochistan. A day before that, on Monday, security forces killed six terrorists in separate IBOs in Balochistan, with four killed in an operation in the border area between Ziarat and Harnai and two others in Killi Zaik.

On August 16, seven terrorists affiliated with Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed, and several others incapacitated in an IBO in Balochistan's Kharan district, according to security sources. The operation was carried out in the Lajay area of Kharan under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3 following intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists.