15 militants killed in two intelligence-based operations in KP: Pakistan Army

In a statement, the military’s media affairs says the operations were carried out between Nov 15 and 16

The Pakistan Army has said 15 militants were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country’s Dawn newspaper reported.

In a statement, the military’s media affairs -- Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) -- said on Tuesday that the operations were carried out between Nov 15 and 16, adding that the terrorists belonged to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij.

Citing the ISPR, Dawn said the first operation was carried out in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district. Troops “effectively engaged” the terrorists’ location, resulting in the deaths of 10 militants, including Kharji ringleader Alam Mehsud.

In another IBO conducted in Datta Khel, North Waziristan, troops killed an additional five militants, according to the report.

The ISPR statement added that sanitisation operations were under way to ensure that no other “Indian-sponsored Kharji” remained in the area. It emphasised that the counter-terrorism campaign by the security forces and law-enforcing agencies would continue to “wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for the successful operations. In his statement, he said efforts to eliminate foreign-backed criminals would continue with national consensus.

He attributed the killing of the terrorist ringleader to the effective strategy adopted by the security forces, adding that political attempts to divert attention from the national unity on counter-terrorism would not be tolerated.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces. “Under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam, security forces are achieving great successes against terrorism,” Dawn quoted him as saying in a statement.

“We are determined to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country,” he added.

Last week, the ISPR reported that at least 24 terrorists had been killed by security forces in three separate engagements in KP and Balochistan.