Pakistan carried out strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, killing 26 terrorists, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced Wednesday.
Tarar said that precise and calibrated strikes targeted hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners belonging to Fitna al-Khwarij along the border.
He said that “four targets were destroyed, including a training centre, a hideout, an ammunition cache and centres belonging to Fitna al-Khwarij commanders Aleem Khan Khushali and Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel”.
Fitna al-Khwarij is the term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Tarar affirmed that Pakistan had always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time, the safety and security of its citizens remained the government’s top priority.
“Our relentless counterterrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” Tarar said.
Earlier, he also mentioned that the strikes came in the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents, including Tuesday’s attack on a Federal Constabulary (FC) post in Musa Dara where six FC personnel were martyred and four injured while repelling an attempt to capture the post. Security forces killed eight terrorists in retaliatory action, though three personnel were reportedly abducted by the attackers.
The minister also cited a foiled vehicle-borne suicide attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2 and a May 9 suicide attack on a Bannu post that martyred 15 police personnel.
It merits a mentioned that Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on its soil, particularly those linked to the TTP. The Afghan Taliban have denied the allegations, maintaining that militancy in Pakistan is an internal matter.
In February, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border, targeting terror infrastructure including ammunition and equipment storage sites.
China has been mediating between the two sides, hosting a meeting in Urumqi in April and intending to hold a second round to keep the process on track.
