Pakistan military launches new anti-terrorist operation

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani army has announced a new nationwide anti-terrorism operation following a new spate of attacks in the country that left over 100 people dead in just one week.

In a statement released Wednesday, Pakistani army said the Radd-ul-Fasaad (End to Chaos in English) operation aims to "eliminate the threat of terrorism, consolidate gains of recent anti-terror operations and ensure security of its borders”.

The air force, navy, and other law-enforcement agencies will also take part in the operation, the statement said.

More than 100 people have been killed in a series of suicide bombings across the country recently.

On Feb. 16, a suicide bomber struck inside a Sufi shrine in Sehwan in southern Sindh province that left at least 88 people dead and hundreds others injured.

Several suspected militants have also been killed in subsequent military airstrikes and ground operations.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Daesh and affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for the recent attacks.

Islamabad has accused terror groups based in neighboring Afghanistan for the attacks. Tensions between the two countries are high as two main border crossing points -- Chaman and Torkham – remain closed since the Sehwan attack.

Pakistani security forces have launched several anti-terrorist operations in the past as well.

In 2014, a full-scale Zarb-e-Azb (Strike of the Sword in English) operation was launched against the Pakistani Taliban group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, in the restive North Waziristan and other tribal areas along Afghanistan. The army said over 5,000 suspected militants were killed in the operation that also left more than 700 troops dead. As many as a million tribesmen from the tribal belt, mainly from North Waziristan, were also left internally displaced.