Pakistani security forces killed 26 terrorists in multiple intelligence-based operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said on Friday. The three operations were conducted in the Bajaur, Kohat and Karak districts on Thursday. The operation in Bajaur was conducted after receiving credible information about the presence of a large number of terrorists in the Gaddar village.
“As soon as the information was received, the forces carried out an extremely effective and targeted operation, during which 22 terrorists were killed,” a security official said. The terrorists were hiding in the village which the locals had already evacuated with the cooperation of tribal elders.
“At the time of the military operation, all the houses around the target were empty, due to which no civilians were harmed,” the security official added. “The nation of Pakistan and its security agencies are united to completely eliminate this scourge of terrorism, and these operations will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” the official added. Separately, according to District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat, Shehbaz Ilahi, the station house officer of Saddar police station was on a routine patrol with his team when the terrorists opened fire on them near Bazid Khel.
Police retaliated immediately and engaged the attackers in a gun battle, which resulted in the death of all three of them on the spot. In another incident, acting on intelligence, police launched an operation in Mir Kalam Banda area in Karak district. One terrorist, wanted in multiple serious cases, was killed during the intense exchange of fire, a spokesperson for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said.
