ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police on Wednesday said they killed three suspected militants including an Afghan national in an intelligence-based operation in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The operation was conducted in the Dera Ismail Khan district. The militants killed were suspected of involvement in attacks on police and security forces. attacks on police and security forces. They were identified as Naimatullah, Mustafa and an Afghan national named Abdul Rauf.
KP has witnessed a wave of militant attacks in recent years by the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that frequently target police stations, security personnel, peace committee members and government officials.
“Attacks on police will be answered by eliminating the last Khawarij,” an official statement said, quoting the province’s Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed. “KP’s intelligence‑based operations will be further intensified to ensure their complete eradication.”
Pakistan uses the term “Fitna Al-Khawarij” to describe TTP militants.
The police added that three Kalashnikov rifles, nine magazines, two hand grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the suspects.
The intelligence-based operation comes just days after six policemen were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast that targeted their vehicle in the Tank district. The next day, four members of a pro-government peace committee were killed by militants in Bannu district.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil to be used by armed groups such as the TTP for “cross-border attacks.” It has also alleged that India supports militant groups carrying out attacks against Pakistan. Both Kabul and New Delhi have denied these claims.
