Pakistan says 43 militants killed in security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
By The South Asia Times
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces have killed 43 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the past 48 hours, the military said on Friday.
The operations were conducted in Mir Ali, in North Waziristan district, and Orakzai district as part of an intensified counterterrorism campaign, according to a statement issued by the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military said troops engaged multiple militant positions following intelligence reports, resulting in intense exchanges of fire.
"Thirty-five khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij have been neutralised in Mir Ali and eight khwarij were sent to hell in Orakzai," the statement said.
Pakistan's military uses the term "khwarij" to describe members of militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban.
Security forces also recovered a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives during subsequent clearance operations, including homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the military said.
It added that the recovered materials could have been used in planned militant attacks.
Sanitisation operations were continuing in the affected areas to locate and eliminate any remaining militants, according to the statement.
The military said the operations were part of the broader counterterrorism campaign under the vision "Azm-e-Istehkam," approved by the federal apex committee overseeing the National Action Plan.
Pakistan has intensified security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid continuing militant violence, particularly in districts bordering Afghanistan.
The military said security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue operations to eliminate what it described as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.
