Rawalpindi:
At least 30 terrorists have been eliminated in three separate military engagements in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – a province where the security situation remains volatile due to its proximity to Afghanistan where terrorists appear to be free to find orchestrated attacks inside the Pakistan.
“On 24 and 25 January 2025, thirty Khwarij were killed in three separate engagements in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province,” Army Media Province ISPR said in a statement on Saturday evening.
The army uses the term “Khwarij” for terrorists from the banned umbrella of violent groups who found safe havens in Afghanistan following their rout from the former tribal belt in the 2014 military operation Codenamed Zarb-e- Azb.
Sharing details of the military engagements, the ISPR said that an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was carried out by security forces in Lakki Marwat district.
“During the conduct of the operation, the own troops actually engaged one location of Khwarij and as a result, 18 Khwarij were sent to hell, while six Khwarij got injured,” he added.
Another IBO was carried out by security forces in the neighboring district of Karak. “In the ensuing exchange of fire, eight Khwarij were effectively neutralized by security forces,” the ISPR statement added.
Meanwhile, a third military engagement took place in Bagh area of Khyber district, where security forces “managed to neutralize four Khwarij, including ringleaders Kharji Azizur Rehman, AKA Qari Ismail and Kharji Mukhlis , while two Khwarij were injured.”
According to the ISPR, the arms and ammunition were also recovered from the dead terrorists, who were actively involved in many terrorist activities in the region against security forces as well as innocent civilians.
“Disinfection operations are being carried out to eliminate any further Kharji found in the area,” the Army’s media wing said while reiterating the determination of the security forces to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.
The IBOS came two days after security forces neutralized six terrorists in Balochistan’s Zhob district attempting to sneak into Pakistan from Afghanistan. “On the night between January 22 and 23, the movement of a group of Khwarij, who were trying to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghan border, was picked up by security forces in the Sambaza area of Zhob “, the ISPR announced on Thursday.
“The own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their infiltration attempt. As a result, six Khwarij were sent to hell. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives were also recovered,” he said. he added.
Pakistan has always demanded the interim government in Afghanistan to ensure effective border management on their side of the border. “The Afghan interim government should fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij to perpetuate acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said.
President Asif Ali Zardari hailed security forces for their bravery in eliminating terrorists in successful operations in Lakki Marwat, Karak and Khyber districts.
“The killing of 30 terrorists in various operations is a significant achievement for the security forces,” the president said in a statement released by his office. President Zardari assured that security operations would continue until the terrorists were eradicated. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to eliminating terrorist elements.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed security forces for successful operations against Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in Lakki Marwat, Karak and Khyber districts.
He appreciated the security forces for eliminating 30 terrorists from Khawarij during the operations. He said the entire nation stood with the security forces in the war against terrorism. He said the government was determined to eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country.
