ISLAMABAD: Pakistan security forces killed five India-backed terrorists and injured two others during an operation targeting terrorist hideouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, security sources said on Tuesday.
According to the sources, security forces targeted terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan and surrounding areas during the operation.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the successful operation. In a statement, President Zardari said effective operations by security forces were playing an important role in thwarting the “nefarious designs” of terrorist elements.
He said operations against Fitna al-Khawarij would continue until terrorism was eliminated. Prime Minister Shehbaz said the security forces had taken decisive action against Fitna al-Khawarij and foiled the terrorists’ designs. He said operations against terrorist groups would continue until terrorism was eliminated.
The latest operation comes a day after security forces killed three Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district. A day earlier, security forces had killed eight terrorists during another IBO in the same district.
The operation was launched after intelligence reports indicated the presence of Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in the area, the sources said.
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Three key commanders of Fitna al-Khawarij were also among the eight terrorists killed in the operation, according to the security sources.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist organisations to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan maintains that the Afghan Taliban authorities have failed to take effective action against groups responsible for attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.
