ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military killed 65 terrorists in a series of intelligence-based operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from November 15 to 19, official statements said. The operations targeted India-backed Fitna al-Khawarij, a label Pakistan uses for militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The first strike in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan, eliminated 10 militants, including a ringleader Alam Mehsud. Five more were killed in Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
On November 16-17, two operations in Bajaur and Bannu districts killed 11 and 12 terrorists, with ringleader Sajjad alias Abuzar among the dead.
On November 19, security forces conducted two precision raids in Kurram district, killing 23 militants. Twelve were neutralized in the first operation, and 11 more in a follow-up after fresh intelligence revealed another group hiding in the area.
Additional operations in Spinwam and Zakir Khel, North Waziristan, killed two more militants, while one more was eliminated in Dera Ismail Khan.
The ISPR said clearance and sanitization operations are ongoing to hunt down any remaining India-sponsored terrorists. It added that the military’s Operation Azm-e-Istehkam will continue relentlessly to eliminate foreign-backed terrorism from Pakistan.
