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SWABI: In what appears to be a surge in militant attacks and subsequent response to them by the security forces, five suspected terrorists were killed during an operation conducted by the army in the Malikabad area on Tuesday.
A captain and a soldier also fell during the intelligence-based operation carried out in the mountainous swathe of Gadoon Amazai which houses a big industrial estate, according to a statement of the Inter-Services Public Relations.
In a separate action during the day reported from the lawless Bajaur tribal region, three suspected militants were captured along with a large cache of weapons during an ongoing search operation.
Two of slain attackers ‘probably’ Afghan nationals; TTP owns assailants
The fresh violence comes on the heels of a militant attack from across the border in Afghanistan on three Pakistani checkpoints in the Mohmand Agency in which 15 assailants were killed. At least five troops also lost their lives in the line of duty on Monday.
“During an exchange of fire Capt Junaid and soldier Amjad embraced Shahadat,” the ISPR statement said of Tuesday’s gunfight. Through Buner district, Gadoon is linked to Malakand and Swat where the army conducted a successful Operation Rah-i-Rast in 2009.
Military sources said that the five terrorists killed in the shootout on Tuesday were planning to attack educational institutions and judicial complexes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a tweet, the ISPR identified three of the slain terrorists as Majid alias Khalid, a resident of Menai Teh Topi, Swabi district; Yousaf alias Chota Khalid, a resident of Malikabad; and Jawad of Malikabad. It said the remaining two militants were probably Afghan nationals.
“Soon after the incident, security personnel cordoned off the Malikabad area and an exchange of fire between security forces and militants continued till late,” the ISPR said.
The raid was conducted under Operation Raddul Fasaad which was launched after terrorists carried out consecutive attacks across the country last month, killing over 150 people and injuring hundreds of others.
The operation is aimed at consolidating gains made in an earlier military offensive and seeks to eliminate “residual/latent threat of terrorism” while ensuring security.
Hundreds of suspected terrorists have been killed and arrested in raids carried out by security personnel since the start of the operation.
“Sacrifice of our Shaheeds will not go [to] waste. Terrorists will be eliminated (and) held accountable for their Fasaad,” the ISPR statement quoted Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying.
In another tweet, the military’s public affairs wing said that funeral prayers for Capt Junaid and soldier Amjad were offered at the Peshawar garrison and attended by Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, the corps commander of Peshawar and other civil and military officials.
In a message sent to media outlets, banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani said that TTP fighters were involved in the Malikabad attack.
It was second such operation conducted by security personnel in the Malikabad area. The first one was carried out on Feb 2, 2010 in which three hardcore militants, including a local leader Shafi Akbar, were killed. Shafi was a prayer leader at the Malikabad Khwar mosque.
Sources in police said that Malikabad was a hotbed of militancy and law enforcement agencies had conducted several operations there and rounded up a number of suspected militants.
Meanwhile, Commander of Peshawar Corps Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt visited operational areas of Suran valley in Mohmand Agency and interacted with troops who repulsed the cross-border attack on Monday, according to the ISPR.
In Jani Shah area of tehsil Mamond in Bajaur tribal region, three suspected militants were arrested during an intelligence-based operation.
The arms recovered from their possession included several Kalashnikovs, hand-grenades, mortar shells, anti-personnel mines and thousands of bullets, security officials added.
A number of books on explosives and maps were also seized from the suspects who were shifted to an undisclosed locality for interrogation.
Anwarullah Khan contributed to the report from Khar
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2017
