11 militants killed in northwest Pakistan near Afghan border

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Days after the country’s top civilian, and military leadership announced taking strict action against the militants following a recent surge in terrorist attacks, the Pakistan army killed at least 11 militants in an operation in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Afghanistan.

In a statement late Thursday, the Pakistan army said security forces conducted an operation in Wana town of South Waziristan district along the Afghan border and "successfully foiled a high-profile terrorist activity."

“During intense exchange of fire, 11 terrorists, including terrorist commander Hafiz Ullah alias Tor Hafiz and two suicide bombers, were killed. A huge quantity of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorists,” said Inter-Services Public Relations, the army’s media wing.

The killed terrorists were actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and target killing of police in the South Waziristan district, said the military.

The latest action came after the National Security Committee (NSC), the top body of civilian and military leadership, warned that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

On Monday, the NSC, after its two-day long meeting to discuss the country’s economic and security situation, said that militants will be dealt with the full force of the state and "Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of Pakistan’s territory.”

Meanwhile, at least five policemen were also wounded in two separate militants attacks in Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts on Thursday.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks from the Afghan side of the border, following the Taliban's storming back to power in Kabul in August 2021.

Islamabad has been urging the Taliban to live up to their commitments to rein in terrorist groups and not to allow them to use Afghan soil as a launch pad for attacks.