Security forces have killed five terrorists, including their leader, during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operation was carried out in response to intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the Maddi area of Dera Ismail Khan.
“During the operation, our troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, resulting in the elimination of five individuals, including the ring leader Shafiullah, also known as Shafi,” the ISPR statement said.
The statement further noted that security forces recovered weapons and ammunition from the deceased terrorists, who had been actively involved in terror activities against security forces and the targeted killings of innocent civilians.
The ISPR also confirmed that a sanitization operation is underway to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area. “Pakistan’s security forces are committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism from the country,” it added.
In a related development, security forces rescued eight out of 17 civilian workers abducted by militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Lakki Marwat district on Thursday. Sources told Geo News that militants ambushed a vehicle carrying unarmed civilians, took them hostage, set the vehicle on fire, and fled with the captives.
The country has seen a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the border provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
