RAWALPINDI: Pakistan military said on Tuesday it had killed 22 militants linked to the India-backed group “Fitna al-Khawarij” during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The military’s media wing, ISPR, said the operation took place on 24 November after intelligence reports indicated the presence of militants in the area.
According to the statement, security forces targeted the militants’ hideout and engaged them in a heavy exchange of fire. Twenty-two militants were killed.
ISPR said clearance and sanitisation operations are under way to eliminate any remaining militants backed from abroad.
The military added that the counterterrorism campaign under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee as part of the National Action Plan, will continue with full force to eradicate externally supported terrorism from Pakistan.
