ISLAMABAD: At least 11 militants belonging to what the military described as the Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij — a reference to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on January 8, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
According to an ISPR statement, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan district following reports about the presence of militants in the area. During the operation, six militants were killed.
In a separate joint intelligence-based operation carried out by police and security forces in Kurram district, five more militants were eliminated, the statement added.
The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed militants, who were involved in terrorist activities against security forces, law enforcement agencies and in targeted killings of civilians.
It said sanitisation operations were under way to eliminate any remaining militants in the areas. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the Indian-sponsored militants, the statement said.
The military said the operations were part of an ongoing counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan. The campaign would continue to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country, it added.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the security forces for the successful operations against Fitna Al Khwarij in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
In separate statements, both leaders reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to combating terrorism. President Zardari praised the role of security forces and law enforcement agencies in protecting lives and property.
Prime Minister Sharif said the armed forces and police were engaged round the clock against anti-state elements and that the entire nation stood united with the security forces in safeguarding the country.
Earlier this week, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that around 80 per cent of terrorist incidents in Pakistan had occurred in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing a press conference, he attributed the trend to what he described as a politically permissive environment and an emerging nexus between political and militant elements, which he said had enabled extremist groups to organise and challenge the writ of the state.