ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces conducted ground and air operations against terrorist organizations in the country’s northwestern region following a series of attacks, according to the country’s Ministry of Information on Monday.
In an official statement, the ministry said that nine terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khwarij were killed, an official designation used to refer to Indian-funded and supported terrorists harming civilians inside Pakistan.
The ministry said operations began on Sunday in Kohat and Hangu districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Additional strikes targeting terrorist camps in the border region with Afghanistan killed 28 more terrorists and destroyed a suicide bomber training facility.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly raised concerns over neighboring Afghanistan harboring armed terrorist groups that cross into Pakistan to carry out attacks against civilians and security forces.
"The safety and security of our citizens remains our foremost priority," the ministry stated. It added that forces took precautions to prevent civilian casualties during the operations.
Military personnel also destroyed weapons stockpiles and ammunition supplies discovered at the terrorist facilities, the statement said.
The ministry stated that the country’s “counterterrorism campaign” of “Ghazab lil Haq” by security personnel and “law enforcement agencies will continue at full pace” to remove “foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”