Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: All 30 ‘India-sponsored terrorists’ behind attack that killed 13 Pakistan Army soldiers neutralised, claims Islamabad

All 30 “India-sponsored outcasts” involved in the attack on Pakistani security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been neutralised, the Pakistan Armed Forces claimed on Friday. Pak President Asif Ali Zardari reportedly lauded the “courageous†operation conducted by the security forces against “India-sponsored terroristsâ€.

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“Sanitization operations are being conducted to hunt and eliminate any other Indian sponsored Kharji found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined and remain steadfast to eradicate and wipe out the menace of Indian Sponsored Terrorism from the country,” an official release by the Pak military said.
Pakistani security forces continue to engage militia groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has seen multiple encounters and bloodshed in recent days. A day after a deadly battle led to the death of 13 Pakistani soldiers, including two officers in Orakzai, an Army Major and a police checkpoint in-charge were killed in two different incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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It is the fighters affiliated to the banned Fitna al Khwarij or Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group that has been continuously engaging the Pak military in the province. In the latest development, the ISPR, which is the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, claimed to have taken out 30 terrorists involved in the Orakzai incident. Earlier, Islamabad had labelled “Indian sponsored khwarij” responsible for the incident.

Pakistan military reportedly labelled the latest encounter a “retribution operation†for the killing of the soldiers. “Security forces have been conducting a series of retribution operations against the kharijis involved in heinous incident that occurred in Orakzai District on October 7, resulting in the shahadat of brave sons of soil, including Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat… These successful operations have avenged the heinous act and have brought the main perpetrators to justice,†Pakistani media reports quoted an ISPR statement as saying on Friday.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, after the banned TTP called off its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowed to target security forces, police, and law enforcement agencies.