RAWALPINDI: Security forces have killed 13 terrorists in a clearance operation under way in the general area of Shaban in District Quetta, and six more in two separate operations in District Kech and District Quetta West, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Subedar Muhammad Jamil, 39, a resident of Taunsa Sharif in District Dera Ghazi Khan, was martyred during an exchange of fire, the military’s media wing said, describing him as a son of the soil who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
According to the statement, intelligence agencies reported the presence of multiple hideouts in the general area of Shaban, District Quetta, belonging to what the military terms Indian-sponsored Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan, posing a threat to the local population.
Security forces launched the clearance operation on September 21 to safeguard residents and clear the area, the ISPR said. Troops engaged and cleared multiple hideouts, and following an intense exchange of fire 13 Indian-sponsored terrorists have been killed so far.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the cleared hideouts. The operation will continue until the complete neutralisation of the threat in the area, the statement said.
In separate engagements on September 22 and 23, security forces conducted pre-emptive intelligence-based operations in District Kech and District Quetta West.
Troops engaged the terrorists and, after an intense exchange of fire, six were killed, with weapons and ammunition recovered, according to the ISPR. It was during this exchange of fire that Subedar Jamil was martyred.
The two sets of operations together account for 19 militants killed and one soldier martyred over a three-day period.
Fitna Al Khawarij is the term the state uses for terrorists of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna Al Hindustan is the designation applied to groups the government describes as Indian proxies operating in Balochistan.
The announcement follows a sustained run of reported engagements in the province. Earlier this month, the ISPR said 12 terrorists were killed in an operation in Kalat and 11 more in Kharan and Washuk, where nearly three tonnes of explosives were also recovered. The Punjab chief minister has publicly commended forces over operations in Chagai and Pishin and paid tribute after an infiltration attempt was foiled on the Pak-Afghan border, while operations have also been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The wider picture has been the subject of debate at home. Religious and political figures have pointed to networks based across the western border, and has argued that Pakistan’s case on external sponsorship needs to be made with publicly verifiable evidence if it is to carry weight internationally. Punjab, meanwhile, has raised its own alert posture, imposing Section 144 restrictions amid warnings of possible attacks, and has expanded judicial capacity with a fourth anti-terrorism court in Lahore.
The ISPR said the relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam,” as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace, adding that security forces and law enforcement agencies remain committed to eliminating the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
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