RAWALPINDI: Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday.
The operation was carried out after receiving reports of the presence of militants affiliated with the Indian proxy group Fitna al-Khwarij, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
The troops engaged the militants’ positions and, after an intense exchange of fire, killed eight Indian-sponsored militants, according to the ISPR.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the Khawarij, who were involved in multiple terrorist attacks targeting security forces, law enforcement agencies, and civilians, it added.
A sanitization operation is ongoing in the area to ensure no other militant remains, the statement added.
The ISPR reaffirmed that security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue their counterterrorism operations under the Azm-e-Istehkam initiative—approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan—to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan.
Earlier today, eight militants associated with Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted by security forces in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
According to security sources, the operation was conducted after security forces received information about Khawarij presence in the Wanda Sheikh Allah area of Lakki Marwat.
The operation, conducted on precise intelligence, targeted militants linked to recent terrorist activities in the region. Security sources said the forces executed the raid with high tactical skill, leaving the militants no chance to escape.
Following the encounter, troops launched a search operation in the surrounding area amid reports of possible terrorist hideouts.
Officials reaffirmed that operations under the National Action Plan will continue until the last militant is eliminated and complete peace and stability are restored in the region.
Last week, Pakistan carried out precision strikes against verified camps of the Kharji Gul Bahadur group in the border regions of North and South Waziristan.
Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Saturday last that the strikes targeted militants responsible for a series of recent cross-border attacks launched from inside Afghanistan. “During a 48-hour ceasefire, Kharjis operating from Afghan soil attempted multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, all of which were effectively repelled by our security forces,” he stated.
According to the minister, more than 100 militants were killed during the counteroffensive. He added that the Gul Bahadur group also carried out a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack in North Waziristan that claimed the lives of a soldier and several civilians.
