KARACHI: At least eight militants were killed in two separate operations in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, authorities said on Saturday.
In the first incident, officials of the KP counter-terrorism department (CTD) and police conducted a raid in the Lakki Marwat district which resulted in an encounter with militants.
The shootout left three members of the Pakistani Taliban’s Tipu Gul group dead, whereas officials seized three Kalashnikovs and hundreds of rounds from the site, according to a CTD statement.
“These militants were actively engaged in targeted killings and direct assaults against law enforcement personnel, including multiple CTD and district police officials,” the statement read.
In another operation in Punjab, CTD and police personnel gunned down five Pakistani Taliban militants near Taunsa Sharif district, the interior ministry, adding referring to them as “Indian-sponsored terrorists.”
“Punjab police and the CTD thwarted the nefarious motives of Khawarij [Pakistani Taliban] terrorists,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying. “We will continue to chase the terrorists of Fitna Al-Hindustan everywhere.”
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its western regions bordering Afghanistan.
On Friday, the Pakistani military said security forces had killed at least 30 “Indian-sponsored” militants while attempting to cross into Pakistan through its border with Afghanistan this week.
Islamabad accuses India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation.
