Peshawar:
At least 22 terrorists were eliminated while six soldiers were killed in three separate operations over two days in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing said on Saturday.
The intelligence-based operations (IBO) took place from December 6 to 7 in Tank districts of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, North Waziristan and Thall, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
In Tank District, the troops effectively attacked the terrorists' location in Gul Imam area due to the reported presence of terrorists, resulting in the death of nine terrorists while six were injured.
At least ten terrorists were successfully neutralized in North Waziristan while in the third encounter, according to the ISPR, security forces foiled terrorists' attempt to attack a checkpoint in Thall district, killing three terrorists.
However, six soldiers were also killed during the intense firefight, the ISPR said. Remediation operations have been launched in the area.
The province's Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur paid tribute to the six security personnel and extended his heartfelt condolences to their families.
There has been an increase in terrorist incidents by operators and separatist groups in Pakistan in recent months, as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other operators have intensified operations against security forces. It has prompted security forces and local police to intensify operations against the terrorists.
According to a report by the think tank Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), there was a sharp increase in the number of fatalities from terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns in the third quarter (July-September) of 2024, with violence increasing by 90 percent rose. ).
A total of 722 people, including civilians, security personnel and outlaws, were killed while 615 others were injured in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the reporting period.
Nearly 97 percent of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan – the highest percentage in a decade, and more than 92 percent of these incidents of terror attacks and security forces operations were recorded in the same provinces.
The total number of fatalities from three quarters of this year has now surpassed the total number of fatalities for all of 2023; with the number of fatalities increasing to at least 1,534 in the first three quarters, compared to 1,523 in 2023.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups continue to reorganize and strengthen their ranks. According to the report, most terrorist attacks have not been claimed by terrorist or insurgent groups, likely for tactical reasons.
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