The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said nine people it described as “Indian-sponsored khwarij” were killed in two intelligence operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 5.
The ISPR said the first operation took place in Tank district after intelligence reports indicated the presence of people it linked to what it called the “Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij”. Troops carried out an intelligence-based operation and “effectively engaged” the scene, leading to an exchange of fire. After what the statement described as an “intense exchange of gunfire,” seven people were killed.
On the same day, a second operation took place in Lakki Marwat district after intelligence reported that there were more suspected militants in the area. Security forces were attacked and returned fire, the ISPR said, adding that two people were killed during the exchange.
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Weapons and ammunition were recovered from those killed in both operations. The ISPR claimed that the individuals had been involved in “numerous terrorist activities” targeting security forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as “targeted killings of innocent civilians.” No details were shared about the specific incidents or the material recovered.
The ISPR said disinfection operations were being carried out in the surrounding areas to ensure that no more “Indian-sponsored khwarij” remained. He said the follow-up actions were part of a broader anti-terror campaign under the government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” framework, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan.
The campaign will continue “at full speed” with the aim of eliminating from the country “the threat of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism,” the ISPR stated. The statement did not report any casualties among security personnel nor did it mention whether any arrests were made.
The ISPR did not release further operational details or identify the dead, and no independent confirmation of the events was immediately available.
