- There was a fierce exchange of fire between soldiers and terrorists.
- During the operation, hideouts of terrorists were also busted.
- “The local people of the area appreciated the operation,” ISPR says.
The army branch on Wednesday said security forces killed seven terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that on the night of 14-15 November, security forces conducted an IBO in Kiri Machan Khel area of the district on information about the presence of terrorists.
“During the conduct of the operation, intense exchange of fire took place between our own troops and the terrorists, resulting in the neutralization of seven terrorists,” it said.
ISPR said that during the operation, terrorist hideouts were also busted and arms and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists.
According to ISPR, terrorists have been actively involved in several terrorist activities including recent targeted killings of police in Tank and surrounding areas.
The statement said a clean-up operation was being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.
“The local people of the area appreciated the operation and extended their full support to the security forces in eliminating the menace of terrorism,” the statement said.
A day earlier, one soldier and two civilians were martyred in firing by terrorists in Dera Ismail Khan, general area of Darazinda, an ISPR statement said.
According to the army’s media wing, the terrorists opened fire on vehicles of a private company working on a development project in the area.
“As a result, two innocent civilian employees of the company, Muhammad Faisal, 35, and Asif Kamran, 29, both residents of Karak District, embraced martyrdom,” the statement said.
The country of 240 million has faced a surge in terrorism in recent months, with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organizations stepping up their crackdown against security forces.
In response, the state has also launched a campaign to curb terrorism.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in a report released in October that security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, the highest level in eight years.
In the third quarter of 2023, about 445 people lost their lives and 440 were injured in more than 190 terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary epicenters of violence, accounting for approximately 94% of all deaths and 89% of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) recorded during this period.
