15 Terrorists Killed in KP Operations; Pakistan Renews Vow to Eradicate 'Foreign-Sponsored' Terrorism

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Tuesday that security forces killed 15 terrorists in two separate Intelligence-Based Operations (IBOs) conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) between November 15 and 16.

In the first IBO at Dera Ismail Khan (Kulachi Area), security forces effectively engaged a terrorist location, resulting in the killing of ten terrorists, including the "kharji ringleader" Alam Mehsud. A second IBO in North Waziristan (Datta Khel) resulted in the killing of five more terrorists.

The ISPR stated that the killed terrorists belonged to "Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij," which is the state's term for the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ISPR affirmed that counter-terrorism campaigns would continue to “wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.” Sanitisation operations are currently underway to eliminate any remaining Indian-sponsored "kharji" found in the areas.

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the forces, attributing the successful operations, including the killing of the ringleader, to the successful strategy of the security forces. He stressed that political moves to divert attention from the national consensus on terrorism would not be tolerated.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute, stating that security forces are achieving great successes against terrorism "Under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam." Pakistan has seen a surge in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, since the proscribed TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Just last week, the ISPR reported that 24 terrorists were killed in three separate engagements in KP and Balochistan.

The Islamabad-based think tank CRSS reported a significant surge in violence over the past three months due to militant attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations.