Pakistan security forces have neutralised 13 terrorists in two separate intelligence based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the military’s media wing ISPR confirmed on Sunday.
The first operation took place in the Mohmand district targeting members of the Indian backed Fitna al Khawarij group. According to ISPR seven militants were killed following an intense exchange of fire. In a second operation in Bannu district six more terrorists were eliminated. The military added that sanitisation operations are ongoing to remove any remaining threats in the region.
These operations form part of Operation Azm e Istehkam a nationwide security campaign approved under the federal National Action Plan. The ISPR said the measures are aimed at countering the recent spike in terrorist activity particularly in border provinces like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan following the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban regime to prevent its territory from being used by terrorists to launch attacks on Pakistan. Recent cross border incidents have heightened tensions prompting retaliation by Pakistani forces.
Islamabad welcomed a recent resolution by Afghan scholars at Kabul University calling on Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used against other nations calling it a positive development though expressing regret that previous commitments had not been honored.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi reiterated Islamabad’s demand for written assurances from Kabul that Afghan territory will not serve as a base for attacks inside Pakistan.
