ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Monday a “highly wanted” militant was among nine killed in an intelligence-based operation in the northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district.
The military has been launching frequent operations in recent months in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The army’s target in the area is militants it says launch attacks inside Pakistan, and against the army, using safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Groups like the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) have been waging a war against the Pakistani state for nearly two decades in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with what they consider an Islamic system of governance.
“During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij [terrorist] location and after an intense fire exchange, nine khwarij including high value target, Kharji Ring leader Shireen were sent to hell,” the military said of the latest operation, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered.
The army said Shireen, whom it identified only with one name, had been involved in various militant activities, the target killing of civilians as well as the killing of Army Captain Hasnain Akhtar last month.
“Today’s operation has avenged the heinous act and has brought the main perpetrator to justice,” the military statement said.
Militants have accelerated their attacks since they revoked a ceasefire with the government late in 2022, a campaign that has seen some big hits in recent months, targeting the military and its bases. Islamabad says militants run training camps in Afghanistan and plan attacks from there, which the Afghan government denies.
