ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have killed at least 19 militants in a series of operations in the country’s northwest, the military said on Thursday.
“On 9-10 September, nineteen Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in three separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” the army’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.
The operations took place in northwestern Mohmand, North Waziristan and Bannu districts, where troops engaged the militants in intelligence-led raids. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead, ISPR added, saying the group had been involved in “numerous terrorist activities” in the region.
The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often accused by Islamabad of launching cross-border attacks from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, has intensified its campaign in recent years, targeting both civilians and security forces. Pakistan has repeatedly blamed Kabul for not acting against the TTP, while also accusing India of covertly supporting such outfits to destabilise the country.
ISPR said sanitisation operations are ongoing to clear the areas, vowing the security forces remains determined to “wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country.”
