Security forces have successfully neutralised 23 Indian-sponsored terrorists in separate operations in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Wednesday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operations, conducted on November 19, were based on credible intelligence regarding militant presence in the area. In the first engagement, troops killed 12 terrorists after an intense exchange of fire. Acting swiftly on additional intelligence, a second operation in the same vicinity resulted in the elimination of 11 more militants. ISPR confirmed that sanitisation efforts are ongoing to clear the area of any remaining threats.
The operations are part of Pakistan’s continued counterterrorism campaign under the vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam,” approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan. The military emphasised that efforts to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism will continue at full pace.
These developments come amid a series of anti-terrorism operations across the country. Between November 17 and 18, four terrorists linked to the Indian-backed Fitna al-Khawarij network were killed in Bajaur, North Waziristan, and Dera Ismail Khan, with weapons and ammunition recovered from the slain militants. Earlier, 23 militants were neutralised in two intelligence-based operations in Bajaur and Bannu.
The operations follow a recent increase in terrorist incidents, including a suicide blast at Islamabad’s Judicial Complex on November 11 that killed 12 people and injured at least 36 others. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Pakistan’s bordering provinces, have experienced the majority of cross-border attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for their “remarkable successes,” asserting that the entire nation stands firmly with the armed forces in the fight against terrorism.