ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's security forces killed four more terrorists during ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan, raising the number eliminated in the operation to 83, while 121 terrorists have been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations across the province since July 5, according to security sources.
They said the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and Balochistan Police continued coordinated ground and aerial operations against what Pakistan officially refers to as Fitna al-Khawarij.
According to the sources, security forces are conducting coordinated air and ground operations across the area, inflicting what they described as heavy losses on terrorist groups.
The latest operations resulted in the confirmed killing of four more terrorists, taking the total number eliminated under Operation Shaban to 83, security sources said.
They added that 121 terrorists have been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations carried out across Balochistan since July 5.
Pakistani authorities officially use the term Fitna al-Khawarij to refer to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), drawing on a historical Islamic reference to underscore the group's attacks on civilians, security forces and state institutions. The broader counterterrorism campaign also targets militants belonging to Fitna al Hindustan, the term Pakistan officially uses for the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which Islamabad says receives external backing to carry out attacks aimed at destabilizing the country.
Operation Shaaban was launched following the terrorist attack on the Mangi Dam police station in Ziarat district and forms part of a wider counterterrorism campaign underway across Balochistan after coordinated attacks targeted civilians, police personnel and security forces at multiple locations in the province.
In a statement issued on Monday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and police for what he described as the latest successes achieved during Operation Shaaban.
"The joint operation by the Pakistan Army, FC Balochistan and Police has achieved remarkable successes," Naqvi said.
He said the nation viewed the security forces' operations against Fitna al Hindustan with appreciation, adding that timely action by the forces had foiled the group's "nefarious designs."
Naqvi said four more terrorists had been killed in the latest operations and reiterated that joint operations would continue until every terrorist was eliminated.
"The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with its brave security forces in the fight against the scourge of terrorism," he said.
The latest operational update comes days after Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir reaffirmed that terrorism emanating from across Pakistan's borders would be "crushed with full might of the state," while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged to "uproot terrorism from the country once and for all."
According to security sources, coordinated ground and aerial operations remain underway across Balochistan's rugged mountainous terrain and will continue until all terrorists are eliminated. Security sources said Operation Shaban has so far resulted in the killing of 83 terrorists, while 121 terrorists have been eliminated in Operation Shaaban and other intelligence-based operations conducted across the province since July 5.