Islamabad/Peshawar: At least 24 terrorists and four soldiers, including an officer, were killed in separate clashes between security forces and rebels in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, the army said on Saturday.
Since Friday, the armed forces have conducted multiple intelligence-based operations (IBOs) around Kolpur, Kardagap and Nushki in Balochistan.
The army said on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, the forces in the area of Kolpur “neutralised eight terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan, including a suicide bomber, and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition”.
The terrorists targeted military vehicles on patrol with armed quadcopters, which killed Major Omer Minhas Nasir and Havildar Muhammad Adnan Khan.
Last year, the government of Pakistan officially designated all terrorist groups and organisations operating in Balochistan province 'Fitna al Hindustan', alleging, without giving any proof, that the outfits indulged in terrorism at India's behest.
In June, India hit out at Pakistan at the UN, slamming Islamabad’s decision to refer to groups inside its own borders as 'Fitna al-Hindustan' as nothing but "officially sponsored misinformation and disinformation dressed in religious terminology.”
Separately, in continuation of the series of intelligence-based operations, security forces engaged multiple Khwarijs’ locations in Mir Ali, Datta Khel and surroundings in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The federal government uses the term 'Fitna al-Khawarij' for terrorists belonging to the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 12 militants were killed in an operation in Ali Khel, while two each were eliminated in Mir Ali and Datta Khel in North Waziristan.
However, during these engagements, Havildar Asmat Ali and Naik Aftab Ali were killed.
Both soldiers fought bravely and laid down their lives in the line of duty, the military's media wing said, adding that the operations had dealt a major blow to the militant network.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain militants, who were involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians, it said.
