The Punjab police on Thursday claimed to kill 10 terrorists during an intense exchange of fire in the mountainous area of Malla Khel in Mianwali, according to a spokesperson for the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
In a statement, the spokesperson said a police team headed by DPO Mianwali Akhtar Farooq conducted the operation on the reported presence of 10-15 terrorists. During the raid, he explained, terrorists opened fire at the police team, and 10 of the attackers were killed in retaliatory fire. All CTD and Elite Force personnel remained unharmed during the operation.
Commending the CTD and Mianwali Police, Punjab Inspector General Usman Anwar hailed their “significant success” in the fight against terrorism. “The Punjab police are on alert and will crush the nefarious plans of terrorists,” he vowed.
The CTD revealed the terrorists were plotting a large-scale attack in Punjab. A search operation is ongoing in the area to identify the deceased terrorists, the spokesperson added.
Pakistan is currently in the midst of a terror resurgence following the return to power of the Afghan Taliban in August 2021. The militancy is primarily concentrated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, but sporadic terror attacks have also taken place in the rest of the country. In a bid to counter the terror threat, the government has launched Vision Azm-e-Istehkam, a whole-of-country operation seeking to reinvigorate the national counter-terrorism campaign.