Security forces gun down 11 militants to avert 'high-profile' terrorist activity

• Local terrorist commander shot dead.
• Two suicide bombers killed also killed.
• Weapons, ammunition recovered.

RAWALPINDI: Security forces killed 11 terrorists in an operation in South Waziristan district's Wana area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Thursday, as the country battles rising militancy.

In a statement, the military's media wing said while conducting the intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the general area, the security forces successfully "foiled a high-profile terrorist activity".

Local terrorist commander, Hafiz Ullah, and two suicide bombers were among the gunned-down militants, the military's media wing said, noting that a huge quantity of weapons and ammunition were also recovered in the IBO.

"The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and target killing of police in South Waziristan district," the ISPR mentioned.

Terrorism has recently surged in Pakistan after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off a ceasefire with Islamabad in November last year and heightened militant activities across the country.

According to reports, the TTP regrouped in Afghanistan after the Taliban's takeover, with Pakistan repeatedly asking the interim government in the neighbouring country to ensure that its soil isn't used for terrorism. But the Taliban-led government has not been able to live up to the expectations.

The activities of militants have been mainly focused in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the former accounting for 31% of the attacks during the last year and the latter 67%, according to statistics provided by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

In its annual report, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said that Pakistan saw as many as 376 terror attacks in the last year, while a majority of these attacks were claimed by banned terror outfits such as TTP, Daesh and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

In light of the rising terror incidents, the National Security Committee (NSC) decided on January 2 that no country would be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists, and Pakistan reserves all rights to safeguard its people.

“This [terrorism] will be dealt with the full force of the state. Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable, and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of the territory,” the committee decided, according to a handout from the Prime Minister's Office.