The military’s media wing said on Friday that 74 militants were killed in a series of distinct intelligence-driven raids across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. Counterterrorism operations are continuing in both provinces, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Two ISPR statements issued on November 13 put the KP toll at 43 over the previous 48 hours. A further 31 deaths were reported in Balochistan, where operations have been under way since November 3. The ISPR described the targets as militants from what it called Indian-sponsored groups, Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
Forty-three militants killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa raids
In KP, operations were widened to Mir Ali and Orakzai, where several militant locations were targeted over two days. According to the ISPR, 35 militants died in Mir Ali after heavy exchanges of gunfire, while eight were killed in Orakzai.
Also read: Four India-backed militants killed in Bannu operation, KP
Troops also seized large quantities of weapons, ammunition and explosives, including homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The military said these seizures had disrupted suspected plots to carry out attacks in the region. Clearance work is continuing to find and neutralise any remaining fighters in the affected areas.
Thirty-one militants killed in Balochistan clearance drive
Separately, the ISPR said a broad intelligence-based clearance operation had been running since November 3 in the Kurram area of Quetta district. Troops struck several hideouts during a series of engagements, killing 31 people whom the military alleged were tied to ‘Indian-backed groups’. Arms, munitions and blasting materials were likewise found at the sites, according to the military.
The ISPR said security forces and law enforcement agencies would keep up counterterrorism work under Azm-e-Istehkam, a national initiative approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan. The military added that operations would continue against militant networks and what it called foreign-sponsored terrorism nationwide.
