Peshawar: Thirty terrorists were killed in three separate counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Saturday, the military said.
The counter-terrorism operations were carried out in Lakki Marwat, Karak, and Khyber districts.
While 18 terrorists were “sent to hell” in Lakki Marwat district, eight were killed in Karak, the army said in a statement. The military said six terrorists were also injured in the Lakki Marwat encounter.
In another encounter in Bagh area of Khyber district, security forces gunned down four terrorists, including ring leaders Aziz ur Rehman aka Qari Ismail and Mukhlis, while two terrorists sustained injuries, it said.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered during the counter-terrorism operations, the statement said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in separate statements praised the security forces for their successful operations in Lakki Marwat, Karak, and Khyber districts.
President Zardari hailed the killing of 30 terrorists as a significant achievement and reaffirmed that the security forces’ operations will continue until terrorism is completely eradicated.
Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated the nation’s unwavering support for the security forces, emphasising that Pakistan is fully committed to eliminating all forms of terrorism.
In recent months, Pakistan has stepped up intelligence-based operations against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has become emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The TTP or Pakistan Taliban is a separate group, but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.
On January 17, five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber district’s Tirah area.
The year 2024 was the deadliest for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.
Equally alarming was the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel — 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded in 2024, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, The News reported citing CRSS report.
The overall fatalities recorded in 2024 were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023.
On an average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily in 2024, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year.
The violence took the heaviest toll on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which topped in human losses with 1,616 fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 782 fatalities.
In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked fatalities and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws.
This tally of casualties stemmed from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for the country’s security landscape.
PTI
