Pakistani security forces kill militant commander in South Waziristan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan and killed a local militant after intense exchange of fire, said the military’s media wing, ISPR, on Tuesday.
The operation was carried out in Ladha, a small settlement, after information was received on militant presence in the area.
According to the ISPR statement, the slain militant, Peer alias Asad, had been an active member of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan since 2006.
“He joined the TTP Baitullah Mehsud Group and remained involved in terrorist activities against security forces,” the statement added. “After the death of Hakeem Ullah Mehsud, he joined the Shehryar Mehsud Group.”
Pakistan’s northwestern tribal districts became a hub of religious militancy after the US invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
Many of the groups operating in the region launched attacks against the Pakistani state and society, making the country’s security forces launch clear-and-hold military operations to reclaim the territory and establish the state’s writ in it once again.