Five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the general Mashkai area of Balochistan’s Awaran district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted the IBO on the night of Dec 30 and Dec 31 over the reported presence of terrorists.
“During the conduct of the operation, after intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, five terrorists were sent to hell,” it said.
The terrorists’ hideout was also busted and a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered, the ISPR said, adding that a sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate other terrorists in the area.
“The security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government last year.
A day earlier, the ISPR said five terrorists were neutralised during an operation in the Mir Ali area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan District.
Earlier this month, as many as 25 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in two separate incidents on a single day, including a terrorist attack in Dera Ismail Khan, claiming lives of 23 soldiers and a military operation in the Kolachi and Darazinda areas of the KP that saw two army personnel losing their lives.
That was the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, as many as 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan.
According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the country witnessed the highest number of suicide attacks since 2014 during this year, with nearly half of them targeting the security forces.
As many as 48 per cent of deaths and 58pc of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel. “A staggering 29 suicide attacks were reported, resulting in the tragic loss of 329 lives and leaving 582 individuals injured.
Comparing the data to the preceding year, 2022, report revealed a distressing 93pc increase in the number of suicide attacks, a shocking 226pc rise in resultant deaths, and a troubling 101pc surge in the number of injured individuals.
