President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have commended security forces for conducting a successful intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan).
In separate statements, President Zardari said effective operations by security forces were playing a significant role in weakening terrorist networks. He said the “nefarious designs” of terrorist elements allegedly operating with external support would be thwarted at all costs.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s resolve to completely eliminate Fitna al-Khawarij, a term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has continued to face a persistent security threat, with frequent militant attacks and counterterrorism operations across the province.
According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), KP, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August, compared with 36 in July, marking a 50 per cent increase.
A day earlier, security forces had killed eight terrorists, including three key commanders, during an intelligence-based operation in DI Khan.
On September 30, three terrorists were killed during another IBO in Mir Ali, KP. A day earlier, security forces killed five terrorists during an operation in the Bara area. Four terrorists were also killed during an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday.
Earlier, a suicide bombing targeting the Aman Mela police checkpost in DI Khan’s Darazinda tehsil killed 12 people and injured 35 others.
On September 18, a major militant attack at the old Police Lines in Kohat left 23 people dead and around 100 injured. Security forces subsequently killed eight terrorists during an overnight clearance operation.
Between September 15 and 17, security forces killed 10 terrorists in separate operations across KP. Earlier in September, more than 20 terrorists were killed in multiple engagements conducted in the province between September 3 and 5.
The series of operations comes amid continued efforts by security forces to counter militant activity and dismantle terrorist networks operating in KP.
