ISPR Confirms 14 Militants Killed During North Waziristan Security Operation

ISLAMABAD (RNN TV) — Fourteen militants affiliated with the banned group Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed during a security operation conducted in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the intelligence-based operation was launched on June 2 and 3 following reports of the presence of militants linked to what it described as an “Indian proxy.” The operation resulted in a fierce exchange of fire, during which the security forces “neutralised 14 Indian-sponsored Khawarij,” the statement said.

Sanitisation operations are ongoing in the area to eliminate any remaining threats, the ISPR added, reaffirming the military’s commitment to countering what it called “Indian-sponsored terrorism.”

The military’s claim follows previous reports of Indian involvement in sponsoring militant groups in Pakistan. Last month, ISPR had announced the killing of nine militants allegedly backed by India during similar operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The term Fitna-al-Khawarij is officially used by the Pakistani government to describe the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), following a notification issued in July 2023. The directive instructed all state institutions to refer to militants involved in terrorism as Khariji (outcasts), a religious term used to delegitimise extremist ideology.

Meanwhile, despite recent military tensions between Pakistan and India, there was no major escalation in militant activities during May, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based independent think tank.

PICSS reported 85 militant attacks across Pakistan in May, slightly up from 81 in April. The attacks resulted in 113 deaths, including 52 security personnel, 46 civilians, 11 militants, and four members of local peace committees.

Pakistan has seen a notable surge in militant violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the TTP unilaterally ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has previously accused India of activating its network of militant proxies to intensify terrorist attacks in Pakistan, presenting what he described as “irrefutable evidence” of Indian state-sponsored terrorism.

Source: Web Desk