File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP
Security forces killed at least 12 terrorists of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Tuesday night during a “very successful intelligence-based operation (IBO)” in the Lakki Marwat area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to the military’s media wing.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said intelligence agencies had been monitoring the movement and activities of the slain terrorists for one week before taking any action against them. “[The] terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for escape that was intercepted and neutralized,” it said, adding that a large amount of weapons, ammunition and Afghan currency were recovered from the militants. After the clash, added the statement, a clearance operation was launched in the area.
“Locals appreciated the operation and lauded the efforts of Pakistan Army in eliminating terrorism,” the statement said.
The ISPR statement followed a similar statement issued by local police, who said the terrorists had been trying to reach Tank to carry out an attack when they were intercepted. They said the suspects had been involved in an attack on security forces in December 2022 that had martyred six policemen.
There has been a marked resurgence of terrorists across Pakistan, especially Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, since the TTP ended in November a ceasefire it had inked with Islamabad in 2021. The government and military have both vowed to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy for all forms of terrorism, with calls for a targeted military operation growing after over 80 people, mostly policemen, were killed last week in a suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines.