ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have killed 25 militants and injured 11 others in a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that have lasted for about a week, an official statement announced on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s restive northwest has experienced a surge in militant attacks since November 2022, when a fragile ceasefire between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down.
The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), issued the statement about the encounters with militants just a day after the country saw another wave of separatist violence in southwestern Balochistan, where a series of coordinated attacks claimed over 50 lives within hours.
The government has vowed to take action against armed groups targeting civilians and security forces, with the military continuing its operations to maintain security in the two western provinces.
“Security Forces are conducting extensive Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) in Tirah, Khyber District against … so called Laskar-e-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar [groups],” the ISPR informed.
“During these daring and highly successful IBOs being conducted since 20 August 2024, Security Forces have so far successfully neutralized twenty-five Khwarij [militants], including … ring leader Abuzar [alias] Saddam,” it continued, adding that 11 militants had also been injured.
The ISPR also mentioned that four Pakistani soldiers also lost their lives in these encounters with the militants.
It added the heavy losses inflicted on militants reflected the valor and commitment of the security forces to eliminate the militant violence from the country.
Security forces kill 25 militants in week-long operations in northwestern Pakistan
https://arab.news/gtq5g
Security forces kill 25 militants in week-long operations in northwestern Pakistan
- The intelligence-based operations were launched in Khyber district on August 20
- Security forces lost four soldiers during the encounters with militants in the area
No third meeting with Pakistan army chief on Trump’s calendar – White House official
- Reuters reported that Donald Trump was expected to hold a third meeting with Asim Munir in six months over a proposed Gaza force
- Pakistan’s top military commander has met Trump twice this year, including a White House luncheon without Pakistani civilian leaders
ISLAMABAD: A White House official said on Wednesday there was no meeting scheduled between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, after a Reuters report cited sources saying Munir is expected to travel to Washington in the coming weeks for talks that could focus on a proposed multinational force for post-war security and aid delivery in Gaza.
Trump’s Gaza plan, outlined as part of a 20-point framework, envisages the deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase, intended to support security and governance as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
Reuters reported that Washington saw Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military, which has fought a brief but intense conflict with India this year and continues to combat insurgencies in its remote regions, adding that the visit would mark Munir’s third meeting with Trump in six months.
“This is not on the President’s calendar at this time,” a White House official said on background, responding to an Arab News query about a possible Trump-Munir meeting.
Munir has met Trump twice in recent months. In June, he was invited to a White House luncheon, an unusual and unprecedented interaction in which a US president hosted a Pakistani military leader without the presence of civilian authorities.
A second meeting took place in October, when Trump hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and publicly thanked Munir – whom he described as his “favorite” field marshal – for Pakistan’s efforts toward peace in Gaza, alongside leaders of other Muslim nations.
Pakistan this week reiterated its position the situation in West Asia during an open debate at the UN Security Council, calling for a “time-bound and irreversible” political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian state.
Islamabad and Washington have meanwhile sought to repair ties after years of strained relations, with both sides working to boost bilateral trade and investment following what officials have described as a favorable tariff deal.
