ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it had killed 10 militants in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan in two separate counterterror operations this week, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country. 

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the first of the two intelligence-based operations (IBO) was conducted on Dec. 24 in the southwestern Balochistan district of Kalat. Eight militants were killed in the IBO, the military’s media wing said. 

The ISPR said the second IBO was also conducted on Dec. 24 in the northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district, where two members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit were killed. It said one of the two militants was a TTP ringleader named Dilawar, who was highly wanted by law enforcement agencies due to “terrorist” activities and had a head money of Rs4 million [$14,270]. 

“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians,” the ISPR said. 

Pakistan’s military frequently refers to the TTP as “khwarij.” The term is rooted in Islamic history and is used for an extremist sect that rebelled against authority, declaring other Muslims as apostates. 

Islamabad accuses India of supporting militant groups in carrying out attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces.

India denies the allegations and accuses Pakistan of supporting armed militants in the part of the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir it administers. 

Pakistan also accuses Afghanistan of providing sanctuaries to militants and facilitating their attacks on Pakistani soil. Kabul has strongly rejected the allegations and said it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s security challenges.