ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed seven Indian-backed militants in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Sherani district, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the October 1 operation targeted operatives of Fitna-ul-Khawarij, described as India-sponsored terrorists. The suspects were killed in an exchange of fire, and a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered from the site.
A sanitisation operation is currently under way to eliminate any remaining threat, ISPR added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces, saying Pakistan’s enemies would never be allowed to undermine national sovereignty. “The Indian-sponsored terrorists who sought to endanger citizens’ life and property have been defeated,” he said, vowing to eradicate terrorism from the country.
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The operation comes two days after ISPR reported that 18 militants linked to Fitna-ul-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan were killed in Quetta and Kech, while four others were arrested in Khuzdar.
Sherani district had recently witnessed militant attacks on police and Levies stations in Mir Ali Khel, where Constable Altaf was martyred and two Levies personnel were injured after armed assailants opened fire and set the Levies headquarters ablaze.
