PESHAWAR: Security forces dealt a fresh blow to militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, killing eight militants in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan and destroying their hideouts, security sources said.
Security sources said the militants belonged to Fitna al-Khawarij. A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and other equipment was recovered after the operation.
The militants allegedly attempted to use a mosque as a shield to evade the advancing security forces, according to the sources. Troops took measures to protect the sanctity of the mosque while carrying out the operation, they said.
The latest operation comes as security forces intensify operations against militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In Balochistan, security forces killed 19 militants in separate engagements in Quetta and Kech districts between Sept. 21 and 23, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing.
ISPR said intelligence agencies had identified several militant hideouts in the Shaban area of Quetta that posed a threat to local residents. A clearance operation launched there on Sept. 21 resulted in the deaths of 13 militants following an intense exchange of fire.
In separate intelligence-based operations in Kech and western Quetta on Sept. 22 and 23, troops killed six more militants and recovered weapons and ammunition, ISPR said.
During one of the engagements, Subedar Muhammad Jamil, 39, was killed, according to the military.
The latest operations come as Pakistan continues to face militant violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, prompting security forces to conduct intelligence-based operations against suspected militant hideouts.
