13 terrorists have been killed by security forces in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted in the Malakand and Kalat districts, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in separate statements on Sunday.

 

According to the ISPR, nine terrorists were eliminated and eight arrested in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand district, while four others were eliminated in Balochistan’s Kalat district.

 

The military’s media wing stated that the four-day intelligence-based operation in Malakand was carried out in coordination with the police, Levies, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and the district administration.

 

The operation was launched following reports of the presence of militants linked to what the ISPR described as an “Indian proxy,” the statement revealed.

 

The troops surrounded and effectively engaged the militants' location, killing nine and arresting eight in an intense fire exchange, the ISPR stated. The two hideouts used by militants were also busted, and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered.

 

The statement reads, “Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to the state’s counterterrorism efforts.”

 

The statement further stated that the sanitisation operation was conducted to eliminate any other militants in the area, as the security forces and law enforcement agencies, in step with the nation, were determined to wipe out the menace of militancy from the country.

 

In a separate operation in Kalat, four terrorists were killed, the ISPR said on Sunday. The operation targeted the reported presence of militants associated with the Indian proxy group ‘Fitna al-Hind,’ the statement added.

 

“During the conduct of the operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense exchange of fire, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.”