ISLAMABAD: Seven militants were killed while six others were critically injured during a gunbattle on Saturday in Pakistan’s northwestern Chitral district, a statement from the army’s media wing said on Sunday, making it the second skirmish to take place between the military and militants in the district within a week.
Twelve militants and four soldiers were killed on September 6 during a gunbattle in Pakistan’s Lower Chitral area after militants attacked two Pakistan military posts near the border with Afghanistan, the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said. The attack was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, who announced its campaign against security forces in the region.
Saturday’s gunbattle between security forces and militants took place in Ursoon area of Chitral, the ISPR said.
“Own troops effectively engaged terrorists’ location and after intense exchange of fire, seven terrorists were killed, while another six were critically injured,” the ISPR said in a statement. “Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.”
According to the army, locals in Chitral appreciated the operation carried out by security forces and expressed full support to “eliminate the menace of terrorism” from the country.”
Pakistan’s caretaker foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, told reporters on Saturday the South Asian nation registered a strong protest with Afghanistan by handing over a demarche to the Afghan charge d’affaires after Wednesday’s attack in Chitral.
“It is the responsibility of the Afghan government that if attacks are occurring in Pakistan from their soil, then it should stop them,” Jilani said, adding that Pakistan expected the Afghan government to prevent the use of its territory for such attacks in future.
“So, our expectation from the Afghan government is that it suppresses all such elements, whether it is the TTP or others,” Jilani added.
Separately, the Pakistan Army had also called upon the Afghan government on Wednesday to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil for “perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
The TTP have scaled up attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces after their fragile truce with the Pakistani state broke down in November 2022. Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained as Islamabad has regularly called on Kabul to rein in the Pakistani Taliban and prevent them from launching attacks in Pakistan.
Army says 7 militants killed, 6 injured during gunbattle in northwestern Pakistan
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Army says 7 militants killed, 6 injured during gunbattle in northwestern Pakistan
- This is the second skirmish between army and militants in the northwestern Chitral district within a week
- 12 militants were killed on Sept. 6 two military posts were attacked in Chitral, according to Pakistan Army
Saudi charity KSrelief distributes 4,000 winter kits in northwest Pakistan
- The charity will distribute around 800 kits each in five districts, containing two quilts and winter clothing
- The program is part of a broader winterization initiative to help communities affected by harsh weather
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Friday said it had started distributing 4,000 winter kits in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to help communities affected by harsh weather.
The program is part of KSrelief’s larger winterization initiative that was launched at the Saudi embassy in Islamabad earlier in January. Under the broader initiative, 22,000 winter kits will be distributed among more than 154,000 Pakistanis across the country.
Each winter kit includes two polyester quilts, warm shawls and winter clothing. Around 800 kits will be distributed in each of the Chitral, Upper Dir, Upper Kohistan, Mansehra and Kurram districts.
"The initiative targets communities severely impacted by harsh winter conditions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as selected areas of Punjab and Sindh experiencing extremely low temperatures," KSrelief said in a statement.
The project is being carried out in close collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority, provincial disaster management authorities, the Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Hayat Foundation.
The statement said the initiative reaffirms KSrelief's continued commitment to alleviating winter-related hardships and improving the living conditions of vulnerable populations across Pakistan.
The Saudi charity has launched numerous projects across Pakistan in food security, health, education and disaster response in recent years, deepening the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
