Pakistan army claims killing 49 ‘terrorists’ in counterterrorism operations

Pakistan’s military said Friday that security forces killed 49 “terrorists” in a series of intelligence-based operations carried out in recent days across the country’s northwestern and southwestern provinces.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said the operations were conducted jointly with police as part of an ongoing counterterrorism campaign targeting the “terrorists.”

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 “terrorists” were killed during operations in Bannu, North Waziristan, Orakzai and Khyber districts, according to the statement.

Security forces also recovered explosives, improvised explosive device detonators, weapons, ammunition and motorcycles.

In Balochistan, the military said 37 “terrorists” were killed in 10 intelligence-based operations in Mastung, Mach, Khuzdar and Panjgur districts.

Weapons, explosives and remote-detonation equipment were also seized, it said.

Pakistan has seen an increase in attacks in recent years, which it says are linked to the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Kabul has denied the accusations.