ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military has killed 15 terrorists belonging to what officials describe as Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij during two intelligence-based operations in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border.
According to Pakistan military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first operation was launched in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district after reports of militant presence. Security forces engaged the militants during an intense exchange of fire, killing 10 terrorists, including their alleged ringleader, Alam Mehsud.
In a separate operation in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, troops “successfully neutralised” five more Khawarij, ISPR said.
The military said weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered from both sites. Follow-up operations were launched to track down remaining militants believed to be hiding in the region.
Officials accused the group of being “Indian-sponsored terrorists” involved in multiple attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighbouring areas.
ISPR said sanitisation operations are continuing as part of Pakistan’s nationwide counterterrorism campaign “Azm-e-Istehkam,” approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan.
In Pakistan, the term Fitna al-Khawarij is a label officially used by the government and military for extremist and banned terrorist groups, most prominently the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), long weakened by Pakistani military operations, has regained strength by exploiting safe havens in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Once forced to remain on the move, TTP fighters now enjoy protection from Afghan Taliban commanders, using Afghan soil to regroup and plan cross-border attacks.
Pakistan is determined to wipe out the menace of Indian sponsored terrorism from the country and reaffirm the nation’s unwavering resolve to bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice, the ISPR statement said.
