ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday its forces killed 12 militants, including a suspected suicide bomber, in separate intelligence-based operations in the country’s two western provinces, while an army officer was killed during one of the raids.
The operations targeted militants in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan that has long been used as a base by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and in Balochistan, where separatist insurgent group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has intensified attacks on security forces and state infrastructure.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring and India of backing both groups, allegations denied by both Kabul and New Delhi.
“During the conduct of operation, due to effective engagement by own troops, five Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement on the North Waziristan operation, using the term “khwarij” to refer to TTP militants.
The ISPR said Major Hafiz Ihsan Elahi, 34, was killed while leading his troops during an exchange of fire in the Razmak area of North Waziristan. It said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who it accused of carrying out attacks on security forces and civilians.
In a separate statement issued on Saturday, the ISPR said security forces had killed seven militants, including a suicide bomber, during an intelligence-based operation conducted overnight between July 30 and July 31 in the Nushki district of Balochistan.
The military referred to the militants as members of “Fitna al Hindustan,” a term it uses for Baloch separatist groups, including the BLA, which has claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile attacks in the province in recent years.
The ISPR said the militants’ hideout was identified and destroyed in what it described as a “prompt surgical action,” adding that ammunition and improvised explosive devices were also destroyed at the site.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where the TTP and BLA have stepped up attacks against security forces and civilians.
The military said clearance operations were continuing in both areas to eliminate any remaining militants.
