As many as eight terrorists including a ringleader were eliminated by the security forces in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday.
According to the military’s media wing, an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted in general area Sararogha of South Waziristan district on reported presence of terrorists.
The statement said that during the operation, troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location as a result of which two militants including ring leader Khan Muhammad alias Khoryay were killed while two others were apprehended.
“The killed kharji Khan Muhammad @Khoryay was involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area including target killing and extortion. He was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies and the government had fixed head money of Rs1 million on him,” it added.
The ISPR said another IBO was conducted in Lakki Marwat district and after an intense fire exchange, six terrorists were successfully neutralised by security forces.
“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe-out the menace of terrorism from the country,” added the ISPR.
A day earlier, the forces killed five militants during an IBO in Lakki Marwat while two others also sustained injuries.
It is pertinent to mention here that the third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90% surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review.
Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan — marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security operations were recorded in the same provinces.
The total fatalities from three quarters of this year have now surpassed the total fatalities recorded for the whole of 2023; the number of fatalities rose to at least 1,534 in the first three quarters compared to 1523 in 2023.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups continue to reorganise and beef up their ranks. Most of the terror attacks remained unclaimed by terrorist or insurgent groups, likely for tactical reasons, as per the report.
