Clashes in NW Pakistan: 15 terrorists, 4 soldiers killed

Peshawar/Islamabad: At least 15 terrorists, including high-value target ringleaders, and four army personnel were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, the two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were carried out in Dera Ismail and North Waziristan districts of the province.

The first IBO took place in the general area of Hathala in Dera Ismail Khan district where the security forces effectively engaged the terrorists at their location.

Nine of them, including high-value target ringleaders Farman alias Saqib, Kharji Amanullah alias Toori, Kharji Saeed alias Liaqat and Kharji Bilal, were killed, the ISPR said adding that they were involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area and were on the top of the ‘wanted’ list of the law enforcement agencies.

The second IBO was conducted in the general area of Miranshah in North Waziristan district where six terrorists were “effectively neutralised by the security forces.”

Lieutenant Muhammad Hassaan Arshaf and three soldiers were killed in combat. Pakistan conducted 59,775 operations in 2023, killing 925 terrorists. Terror attacks surged after the Afghan Taliban’s rise, with 2024 being the deadliest year.