Pakistan’s security forces neutralize nine militants in northwest, suffer one casualty

Pakistani army soldier stand guard on a border terminal in Ghulam Khan, a town in North Waziristan, on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, on January 27, 2019. (AFP/File)

• Intelligence-based operations have been regularly carried out since the spike in militancy that has last for over a year
• Security forces say they are determined to wipe out militancy for which they are also willing to sacrifice their own lives

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces killed nine militants in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the country’s northwest this week, the army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), informed in a statement on Saturday, adding it lost a soldier in the process.
The country’s military and law enforcement agencies have been regularly carrying out such operations in the two Pakistani western provinces bordering Afghanistan since the spike in militancy in Pakistan that has lasted for well over a year.
The militant violence in recent months was not just directed against security personnel but also targeted political leaders and workers running their election campaigns to undermine the national polls.
According to the ISPR, the militants were killed on 16th and 17th of February in IBOs in Tank and South Waziristan districts.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area against the security forces as well as extortion and target killing of innocent civilians,” the statement said.
“However, during the operation, a brave son of the soil, Sepoy Shahzeb Aslam (age 29 years; resident of district Haripur), having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat [martyrdom],” it added.
The statement further informed that the IBOs led to the killings of high-value targets Rehmat Ullah alias Badar Masur and Amjad alias Babri.
The ISPR said the Pakistani security forces were determined to wipe out militancy from the country, adding that sacrifices of its own soldiers further strengthened its resolve.