Eight terrorists killed in Balochistan

RAWALPINDI:

Security forces killed eight terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Hindustan, in three intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan and recovered 490 kilogrammes of explosives, the military's media wing said on Sunday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on October 17, security forces conducted three IBOs in Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan, on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Hindustan.

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 the outfits.

In Quetta's Panjpai area, security forces intercepted an attempt by terrorists to establish a roadblock to disrupt local traffic, resulting in the killing of five Indian sponsored terrorists, the ISPR said.

The statement added that "during sanitisation operation in Nushki district, security forces busted terrorists' hideout, and after an intense fire exchange, two Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell," the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered.

In a separate intelligence-based operation in Khuzdar, security forces engaged a terrorist hideout and killed one Indian-sponsored terrorist, according to the statement. A large quantity of explosives, weighing 490 kilogrammes, was also recovered.

The ISPR said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists found in the areas.

"Relentless counter terrorism campaign under vision "Azm-e-Istehkam" (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country," the statement concluded.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for successfully eliminating eight India-sponsored terrorists during three separate IBOs in Quetta, Naushki and Khuzdar.

The president reiterated that the conspiracies hatched by terrorists' foreign patrons and their local facilitators would be decisively thwarted.

Separately, the prime minister reiterated the government's resolve to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.