Security forces have killed 16 militants, two of them Afghan citizens, in intelligence-based raids in North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. Two soldiers also lost their lives in exchanges of fire during the operations.
In a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military said several suspected militant hideouts were struck in Mir Ali, Datta Khel and nearby areas over a 12-hour period.
Militant deaths spread across several North Waziristan areas
The statement said 12 militants, including two Afghans, were killed in Ali Khel. Two more fighters each died in separate clashes in Mir Ali and Datta Khel.
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The military described the group as members of Fitna al-Khawarij, a term it uses for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It alleges the TTP is backed by India.
Two soldiers named after North Waziristan clashes
The ISPR named the fallen men as Havildar Asmat Ali, 43, from Swabi, and Naik Aftab Ali, 32, from Mardan. It said both fought bravely during the operations and gave their lives.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead militants, the statement added. The military said the militants had taken part in several terrorist activities, including attacks on civilians.
Security operations to continue across the region
The ISPR said sanitisation operations were under way to eliminate any remaining militants in the area. It added that counterterrorism operations under Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace.
The military reiterated its resolve to eliminate what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism. In a separate set of figures, the ISPR said security forces killed 74 militants on November 13 across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. It said 43 were killed in KP over 48 hours, while 31 were killed in Balochistan since November 3.
In KP, the statement said 35 militants were killed in Mir Ali and eight in Orakzai. Separately, troops killed 31 militants in an intelligence-based clearance operation in the Kurram area of Quetta district, which began on November 3. The ISPR said the targeted groups included what it called ‘Indian-sponsored’ outfits, Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
