One terrorist was killed and three others injured on Sunday in an exchange of fire with security forces in Balochistan’s Gwadar, the military’s media affairs wing said. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was launched after the presence of the terrorists in the area was reported.
“The security forces have cordoned off the entire area [and] launched [a] search operation,” the ISPR said. Meanwhile, four terrorists were killed while one was arrested during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district.
According to the ISPR, security forces conducted an operation in Charmang last night after receiving reports about the presence of terrorists. During the operation, “intense fire exchange occurred between security forces and terrorists,” the statement said.
’“Four terrorists were sent to hell while one terrorist was apprehended,” the ISPR said.
The statement went on to say that weapons, ammunition and explosives, including a suicide vest, were also recovered from the militants, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens, especially suicide blasts”.
The ISPR added that 24-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Shoaib was martyred in the gunfight.
“Sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area. Security forces of Pakistan remain determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from Pakistan,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the outlawed TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
A report released by think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies in July said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.
On July 12, as many as 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan. This was the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year.
The Foreign Office (FO) had later confirmed the involvement of Afghan terrorists in the Zhob attack.
