At least 12 terrorists were killed in multiple counterterrorism operations and armed clashes across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, while separate incidents of violence in the province left two Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel martyred and claimed the life of a senior JUI-F leader who had been critically wounded in a bomb blast a day earlier.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces carried out two intelligence-based operations after receiving information about the presence of terrorists.
The first operation took place in North Waziristan, where troops engaged a terrorist hideout and killed six militants during an exchange of fire. A second joint operation by police and security forces in Kurram district resulted in the killing of five terrorists.
According to ISPR, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead militants, described as “Indian-sponsored khwarij,” who were involved in attacks on security forces, law enforcement agencies and civilians.
The military said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any remaining militants and that counterterrorism efforts under the Azm-i-Istehkam framework would continue.
Separately, one terrorist was killed, another injured and two arrested during a clash in the Malagori area of Khyber district. Local sources said security forces, assisted by armed volunteers, engaged the militants after residents reported suspicious movement near a hilly area. Gunship helicopters and artillery were also used during the operation.
Meanwhile, violence elsewhere in the province claimed the lives of two CTD officials. One officer, identified as Sanaullah, was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Peshawar’s Regi area, while another, Saifur Rehman, was killed in a targeted attack in Bajaur’s War Mamund tehsil.
In South Waziristan, senior JUI-F leader and Wafaqul Madaris district president Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir succumbed to injuries sustained in a bomb blast near a madrassa in Wana bazaar.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing. In a separate blast in Upper South Waziristan, a local peace committee chief was injured when an improvised explosive device targeted his vehicle.
