Five terrorists, including a commander, were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan on Friday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In a statement, the military’s media wing said security forces had conducted the IBO on Dec. 29 on the reported presence of terrorists in the area. “During the conduct of operation, after intense fire exchange, five terrorists, including terrorist commander Rahzaib aka Khuray, were sent to hell,” it said.
The slain terrorists, it said, were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent civilians. “Weapons and ammunition were also recovered during the operation,” it said, adding local residents had appreciated the operation.
Following the assault, read the statement, a sanitization operation was underway to eliminate any remaining terrorists from the area. Security forces, emphasized the ISPR, were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.
There has been a marked resurgence of terrorism, including suicide attacks, across Pakistan over the past year. Data gathered by the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies shows security forces remained the primary targets of militants, with at least 48 percent of all record deaths and 58 percent of injuries inflicted on security personnel.