D.I.Khan: Security forces successfully eliminated five terrorists, including their ring leader, in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the operation targeted the reported presence of terrorists in the general area of Maddi in Dera Ismail Khan. “During the conduct of the operation, our troops effectively engaged the khwarij’s [terrorists] location. Resultantly, five khwarij, including ring leader Shafiullah, also known as Shafi, were sent to hell,” the ISPR stated.
The operation also led to the recovery of weapons and ammunition from the deceased terrorists, who were actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and the targeted killing of innocent civilians.
“A sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any other kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.
In a related development, security forces rescued eight of the 17 civilian workers abducted by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Lakki Marwat district. Sources informed Geo News that militants ambushed a vehicle transporting unarmed civilians, took them hostage, set the vehicle on fire, and fled with the captives.
The nation has been grappling with an increase in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The year 2024 has been the deadliest for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in a decade, with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to the “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by the Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.
The cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel stood at 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking a 73% increase compared to the 934 outlaws eliminated. The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month of the year.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bore the brunt of the violence, topping the list with 1,616 fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 782 fatalities. In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked fatalities and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws. This tally stemmed from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for Pakistan’s security landscape.
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