RAWALPINDI: Security forces killed eight terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan in two high-tempo intelligence-based operations in Balochistan’s Kharan and Mastung districts, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces received intelligence about the movement of a group of terrorists in Kharan on June 25. As a result of a “precise and skilful engagement”, three terrorists were killed, while several others were injured.
The federal government last year officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these outfits.
The ISPR added that, in a separate operation the following day, security forces conducted a pre-emptive intelligence-based operation in Mastung against the possible presence of a suicide bomber.
“During the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense exchange of fire, five terrorists, including a suicide bomber, were successfully neutralised,” the statement said.
According to the ISPR, weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and motorcycles used by the terrorists were also recovered during the operation.
The military’s media wing said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists present in the area.
“The relentless counterterrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, by Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue at full pace to eliminate the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces. In separate statements, the president and the prime minister said the successful operations reflected the professionalism, capability and unwavering resolve of Pakistan’s security forces.
They reaffirmed that the entire nation stood firmly alongside the armed forces in the fight against foreign-sponsored terrorism and vowed that the campaign would continue until the complete eradication of the menace.
