ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces gunned down two militants in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, the military’s media wing said.
Pakistan has seen a rise in attacks on security forces and civilian targets since a fragile truce between the state and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down in November last year.
Over 80 people were killed in January when a suicide blast struck a mosque located in a police compound in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital. The TTP, who conducted some of the most brutal attacks against Pakistan’s security forces for over a decade now, wants to impose its own strict version of Islamic law across the country.
The latest exchange of fire took place during an intelligence-based operation in District Bannu’s Jani Khel area, the military’s media wing said.
“During the conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “Resultantly, 2 x terrorists were sent to hell.
The uptick in militant attacks across Pakistan has also strained Islamabad’s relations with Kabul. Pakistan has repeatedly called on Afghanistan to rein in militants it says are operating from Afghan soil.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has assured Pakistan it would take action against militants on its soil and has called on Islamabad to refrain from threatening cross-border action.