Seven terrorists killed in Tank operation

Armed security forces personnel ride on an army van. —AFP/File

Seven terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, the military’s wing said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that on the night between November 14-15, the security forces conducted the IBO in the Kiri Machan Khel area of the district on the reported presence of terrorists.

“During conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists, as a result of which seven terrorists were sent to hell,” it added.

The terrorists’ hideouts were also busted during the operation, the ISPR said, adding that the weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorists.

According to the ISPR, the militants remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities including recent target killings of police in Tank and surrounding areas.

The statement said sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

“Locals of the area appreciated the operation and extended their full support to the security forces in elimination of menace of terrorism,” the statement added.

A day earlier, one soldier and two civilians were martyred after terrorists opened fire in the general area of Darazinda, Dera Ismail Khan, a statement by ISPR said.

According to the military's media wing, the militants fired upon vehicles of a private company working on a development project in the area.

"Resultantly, two innocent civilian employees of the company, Muhammad Faisal, 35 and Asif Kamran, 29 who were residents of district Karak embraced shahadat," said the statement.

The nation of 240 million has faced a surge in terrorism in recent months, with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant outfits intensifying their actions against security forces.

In response, the state has also launched operations to curb terrorism.

The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in a report released in October, noted that the security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.

In the third quarter of 2023, some 445 people lost their lives and 440 suffered injuries from as many as 190 terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) recorded during this period