RAWALPINDI; At least 20 terrorists were killed in two separate security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 8 and 9, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday.
In the first intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out in the Shawal area of North Waziristan, eight terrorists were killed after security forces engaged their hideout. “During the operation, the troops effectively targeted the khawarij’s position, sending eight Indian-sponsored militants to hell,” the ISPR said.
Earlier in July, the government officially designated the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Fitna al Khawarij, directing all state institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) for terrorists involved in attacks against Pakistan.
In a second IBO conducted in Dara Adam Khel, security forces killed 12 terrorists following an intense exchange of fire.
The ISPR added that search and sanitisation operations were continuing in both areas to eliminate any remaining “Indian-sponsored kharijites.” It reaffirmed that under Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their efforts to completely eradicate foreign-backed terrorism from the country.
Operation Azm-i-Istehkam was launched last year as part of a renewed national counterterrorism strategy.
The ISPR also recalled that on October 16, security forces had eliminated 34 “India-backed” terrorists in multiple operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over three days. Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist incidents over the past year, particularly in KP and Balochistan, following the banned TTP’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
