KARACHI: Eight militants were killed in a joint operation conducted by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police, Counterterrorism Department (CTD) and security forces in Pakistan’s northwest, the Pakistani military said on Saturday.
The operation was conducted in KP’s Bannu district, while the deceased militants belonged to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing. It came amid a surge in militancy in the country.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased “Indian-sponsored” militants, who remained actively involved in “terrorist activities” against security forces, law enforcers and target killing of innocent civilians. New Deli did not immediately respond to the statement.
“The operation underscores the strengthened collaborative efforts between Law Enforcement Agencies and Security Forces, who have significantly intensified intelligence-driven operations in the region,” the ISPR said.
“These meticulously coordinated and synchronized security measures are designed to constrict the operational mobility of Khwarij elements, systematically dismantle their facilitation networks, and curtail their capacity to reorganize.”
Pakistan’s northwestern KP province, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militancy in recent years. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces’ convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the Pakistani security forces for killing the militants in Bannu.
“We are determined to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country,” he said in a statement. “The entire nation stands with Pakistan’s forces in this war against terrorism.”
A day earlier, the Pakistani military said it had killed 13 militants in multiple operations in KP’s Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.
The uptick in militant violence last month triggered fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, but tensions between the neighbors remain high.
A day earlier, the Pakistani military said it had killed 13 militants in multiple operations in KP’s Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.
The uptick in militant violence last month triggered fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, but tensions between the neighbors remain high.
