Daily Times

Eight terrorists were killed by security forces during two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first operation was conducted in the Jani Khel general area of Bannu district. “An intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists. Resultantly, six terrorists were sent to hell while five were apprehended,” it stated. The ISPR said the terrorists were involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces, including facilitation of motorcycle borne suicide attack on a military convoy in Jani Khel on August 31, during which “nine brave sons of soil laid their lives”.

The second operation was conducted in the general area Datta Khel, North Waziristan tribal district. “Two terrorists were sent to hell in a fierce encounter between security forces and terrorists,” the ISPR said. It added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorists and sanitisation of the surrounding areas was being carried out in the area. “Locals of the area appreciated the operation. Security forces of Pakistan remain determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the military’s media wing added. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year. A report released in July by the think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.