Security forces have killed 10 terrorists and apprehended two female suicide bombers as well as their facilitator during operations in Balochistan’s Surab and Mastung districts over the past 48 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the military’s media wing said seven of the terrorists were killed in Surab and three in Mastung, where the two suicide bombers and their facilitator were also apprehended. It said the operations in these two districts were in continuation of actions against the “terrorist nexus of India-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij” in Balochistan to “weed out remnants of terrorists and their facilitators.”
Fitna-al-Khawarij is the state’s designation for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Balochistan-based terror groups are dubbed Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism.
The ISPR said security forces had carried out multiple intelligence-based, area sanitization and targeted operations in Mastung and Surab over the last 48 hours. “Weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices used by terrorists were also recovered,” it said, adding sanitization operations were ongoing to eliminate any remaining India-sponsored terrorist in the area.
“Relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’—as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan—by the security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and -supported terrorism from the country,” it added.
Earlier this month, security forces and law enforcement personnel jointly launched Operation Shaban in Balochistan after terrorists kidnapped and killed 27 police officers in a deadly attack on a police post at Ziarat’s Mangi Dam pumping station.