KARACHI: Pakistani security forces killed three militants in an intelligence-based operation in the northwestern Tank district on Saturday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
The operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province occurred days after a twin suicide bombing killed at least 18 people in nearby Bannu. The region has experienced increased militant violence since a ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) collapsed in late 2022.
Pakistan refers to TTP fighters as “khawarij,” a term historically describing an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority and declaring other Muslims apostates.
“On 08 March 2025, Security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Tank District on reported presence of khawarij,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, as a result of which, three khawarij were sent to hell.”
The military recovered weapons and ammunition from the slain militants, who were allegedly involved in numerous attacks against security forces and civilians.
The ISPR informed a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area, expressing the resolve of the security forces to eradicate extremist violence from the country.
Pakistani security forces kill three militants in intelligence-based operation in northwest
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Pakistani security forces kill three militants in intelligence-based operation in northwest
- The operation in Tank came just days after a twin suicide bombing in Bannu this week
- Military’s media wing says weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants
Gunmen kill Hindu man among three persons in Pakistan’s Balochistan
- No group claimed the attack in the region, where separatist groups have targeted security forces, foreigners, non-local tourists in the past
- Police official says investigations underway to ascertain motives behind the killing of the three men, all residents of Balochistan’s Khuzdar
QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen shot dead three people, including a member of the Hindu community, in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Sunday, a police official said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the killings in the restive region, where Baloch separatist groups have targeted security forces, foreigners, non-local tourists and travelers in the past.
The deceased men, including a Hindu trader, his friend and servant, had been on picnic at Harhnbo Dam in Naal area of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, according to local police station in-charge Abdullah Pandrani. All three were residents of Khuzdar’s Wadh area.
“Their bodies were handed over to relatives,” Pandrani told Arab News. “The relatives of slain tourists didn’t say whether they had any enmity.”
The killings come days after coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group in several districts across Balochistan that killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel. Authorities said they had killed 216 militants in follow-up operations.
“Investigations are underway to ascertain motives behind the [latest] killings,” Pandrani added.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners and non-local Pakistanis and kidnap government officials.
Separatist militant groups blame Islamabad for exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in them. The military and civilian government reject these allegations and say they are investing in the province’s development.
