QUETTA / LAKKI MARWAT: More than a dozen terrorists were killed in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Balochistan over the past two days, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted operations in Musakhel, Panjgur and Lakki Marwat, killing 16 terrorists.

Since Dec 9, 25 terrorists have been killed in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted in Balochistan and 18 in KP “causing a major setback” to miscreants carrying out attacks across the country, the ISPR statement added.

The recent IBOs were conducted on Friday in Musakhel and Panjgur districts, in which ten terrorists were killed after an intense exchange of fire.

The security forces have also destroyed a strong network of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Qila Abdullah and arrested four alleged militants wanted by security forces, officials have claimed.

The arrested terrorists were allegedly Afghan nationals involved in terror attacks and killings.

A senior security official said the arrested individuals were running a “strong” terrorist network and hailed the “well-planned” operation.

The terrorists had disguised themselves as growers and were working in agriculture fields in different areas of Qila Abdullah.

They have been identified as Jalil alias Qudratullah and Naimatullah alias Lalak, experts at making IEDs and other bombs.

The other two have been identified as Nasibullah alias Sardar and Azizullah alias Inayat, officials claimed.

They have reportedly confessed to carrying out two IED blasts targeting members of law enforcement agencies in Qila Abdullah district.

Lakki Marwat operation

In Lakki Marwat, the IBO was carried out on mountains near Chuharkhel and Abdulkhel areas of the district on the night between Thursday and Friday, locals said, adding multiple explosions were also heard during the operation.

ISPR claimed that security forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and killed six of them.

According to residents, several rural localities have been surrounded by mountains being used by the terrorists as safe havens.

The statement added that these operations would continue till peace was restored in the area.

Ministry’s briefing

Overall, 341 terrorists were killed in 2,801 IBOs in the first 10 months of this year, according to the interior ministry, Dawn.com reported.

The data was submitted to the National Assembly in response to a query posed by Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen MNA Hameed Hussain about the government’s counter-terrorism efforts.

These operations, resulting in the killing of 341 terrorists, underscore the “effectiveness of proactive measures in dismantling terrorist networks and neutralising threats to national security”.

The ministry said that four “terrorist organisations” — Zainabiyoun Brigade, Majeed Brigade, Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement — have been proscribed in the 10 months, bringing the total to 82.

It added that 800 individuals were placed on the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act as part of “vigilant monitoring of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities”.

Among them, 400 were from Punjab, 203 from KP, 173 from Balochistan, 21 from Sindh and three from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Regarding terror financing, the ministry said 2,350 cases were registered, with 2,466 arrested, 526 convicted and Rs581.2 million recovered.

The response stated that 1,566 terrorism incidents took place in the 10 months — 948 in KP, 532 in Balochistan, 24 in Sindh, 10 in Punjab and two in Islamabad.

At least 924 people were killed and 2,121 injured in these attacks.

Of these victims, 573 were security personnel and 351 civilians.

“This data indicates that law enforcement agencies have been primarily targeted by terrorists across Pakistan during the last ten months,” the ministry added.

The ministry explained that there was a “significant rise in terrorism incidents and evolving terrorism patterns have been consistently observed” since the Afghan Taliban’s August 2021 takeover of Kabul, particularly in the operations of the TTP in KP, the Baloch nationalist insurgency in Balochistan and ethno-nationalist violence in Sindh.

It added that the TTP had recently shifted its targets, now focusing more on military and law enforcement officers, as well as security installations and critical infrastructure, rather than targeting the civilian population.

“Following its territorial losses, the central leadership of the [TTP] is now based in Afghanistan, posing ongoing security concerns and challenges for Pakistan.“The victory of the Afghan Taliban has “emboldened” TTP militants to “continue their activities in Pakistan without fear”.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024