ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed 11 militants in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that Islamabad is determined to eliminate “terrorism” from the country.
Pakistani security forces conduct thousands of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in KP and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan every year. Islamabad blames the Afghan government and India of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and separatist Baloch militant groups in carrying out these attacks. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations, urging Islamabad to resolve its security challenges by itself.
“The interior minister praised the professionalism and capabilities of the security forces for killing 11 terrorists during intelligence-based operations,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
Naqvi credited Pakistani forces for carrying out timely operations that foiled the “nefarious designs of the terrorists.”
“The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the security forces in the war against terrorism,” Naqvi said.
A separate statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the counterterror operation took place in KP’s Bannu district. However, it did not say anything about a security operation in Balochistan.
“The entire nation stands with the security forces in the war against terrorism,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “We are determined to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country.”
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant attacks in KP and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban took over Afghanistan. The surge in attacks has strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad blaming Kabul for providing sanctuary to militants on its soil.
Afghanistan denies the allegations. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have engaged in deadly border clashes, disrupting trade and movement of people across land borders.
