RAWALPINDI: Pakistani security forces killed 24 militants during a series of intelligence-based operations in the northwestern Bannu district and adjoining areas over the past 24 hours, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were launched after a recent surge in militant attacks targeting police and a vehicle-borne suicide bombing in Bannu.
The military said the militants belonged to Fitna al Khawarij, a term it uses for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It alleged that the group receives support from India.
ISPR said security forces engaged the militants in multiple firefights, killing 24 of them during the operations.
Security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the slain militants, who the military said were involved in attacks on security forces and the killing of civilians.
The military said intelligence-based operations would continue across the area to track down those responsible for recent attacks and dismantle their support networks.
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ISPR said Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, would continue until militant networks operating in the country were eliminated.
