Security forces operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan have killed 74 terrorists, the military's media wing said on Friday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which issues statements for the armed forces, said the killings happened during intelligence-based operations in Mir Ali and Orakzai in KP, and in the Kurram area of Quetta district in Balochistan. The military described those killed as Indian-sponsored and presented that description as its own assessment.
What the military said
According to the statement, the operations in KP were carried out over the previous 48 hours, with troops engaging several militant locations. In Mir Ali, 35 khwarij, the term the statement uses for militants, were neutralised after intense exchanges of fire. In Orakzai, eight were killed, and the ISPR said the results dealt "a significant blow" to militant networks in those areas.
Security forces also recovered a large cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives, including homemade and improvised explosive devices, the statement said. Sanitisation operations, which clear remaining militants from an area, were continuing in Mir Ali and Orakzai when the announcement was made.
Balochistan and the wider campaign
In Balochistan, the security forces operations have been running in the Kurram area of Quetta district since 3 November, the statement said. Multiple hideouts were engaged during these operations, and 31 Indian-sponsored khwarij were killed, the military said. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from those locations as well.
The statement places these actions under the Azm-e-Istehkam counter-terrorism campaign, which it says was approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, Pakistan's broad counter-terrorism framework. The military said the campaign would continue at full pace until foreign-sponsored terrorism is removed from the country. The three district figures of 35, eight and 31 add up to the 74 total given in the statement.
The story is still developing, and the totals may be updated as more details are released.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 3 November: security forces begin an area sanitisation operation in the Kurram area of Quetta district, Balochistan, according to the statement.
- Over the 48 hours before the statement: intelligence-based operations in Mir Ali and Orakzai, KP, leave 35 and eight khwarij dead respectively.
- Friday: the ISPR announces that 74 terrorists were killed across KP and Balochistan.
Aasan alfaaz mein
ISPR, fauj ke media wing, ne Friday ko kaha ke security forces ne KP aur Balochistan mein intelligence-based operations mein 74 terrorists ko hallak kiya. Mir Ali aur Orakzai mein KP ke andar, aur Quetta ke Kurram ilaqe mein Balochistan mein yeh karwai hui. Fauj ke mutabiq hathiyar aur dhamaka khaiz maad bhi baramad hua. Aam shehri ke liye matlab yeh hai ke in ilaqon mein clearance ki karwai jari hai, is liye local official notices par nazar rakhein.
