Pakistan Army soldiers. PHOTO: ISPR/FILE
QUETTA:
Security forces on Sunday foiled a major terrorist plot in Balochistan’s Pishin district, killing five terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij during a targeted intelligence-based operation.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations and security sources, forces received credible intelligence that members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were planning attacks on the Police Lines and Cadet College Pishin.
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The suspects were reportedly hiding in a house near the cadet college and were finalising preparations for the attacks. Acting on the tip-off, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a targeted operation.
According to the ISPR statement, troops engaged the terrorists, and after an exchange lasting an hour, “a terrorist detonated himself with a suicide vest,” while four others were killed by security forces.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of modern weapons, a large quantity of explosive material, hand grenades, and maps of sensitive locations in Pishin, indicating detailed attack planning, the statement and security sources said.
The bodies were shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination. Officials said the terrorists had been involved in previous attacks on security forces, police, and Counter-Terrorism Department personnel.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the entire tashkeel with multiple weapons. After an intense fire exchange, Suicide Bomber Kharji cowardly blew himself up and four other Indian sponsored Khwarij were hunted down and sent to hell,” the ISPR statement said.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the Khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.”
It added that sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists in the area.
“Relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm e Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR statement read.
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President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for the successful action against Fitna al-Khawarij in District Pishin. “The intelligence-based operation against the Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij reflects the national resolve against terrorism,” said President Zardari.
“The fight against the scourge of terrorism will continue until its complete elimination,” the President stated.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the capabilities of the security forces for bringing five terrorists to an end.
“The nation is proud of the courage and professional expertise of the security forces,” he said. “The successful operations of the security forces for the establishment of peace in Balochistan are commendable.”
Separately, two terrorists, including a detained commander, were killed on Sunday when the outlaws attacked a CTD vehicle in a bid to free their chief in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
According to officials, the CTD team was transporting a recently arrested high-profile terrorist commander, Usama (alias Daniyal, alias Baghi), to identify the crime scene related to the killing of Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali Khan.
The suspect was being taken to complete evidentiary requirements in the case when his accomplices launched an indiscriminate attack on the convoy to secure his release.
The CTD’s SWAT team responded promptly, leading to an intense gunbattle. During the crossfire, an attacker’s bullet hit the detained commander. The CTD’s armoured personnel carrier also came under direct fire, but the personnel remained unharmed.
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Authorities said during interrogation, the slain commander had confessed to involvement in multiple high-profile attacks, including the killing of Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali Khan, former SHO Abid Wazir, and three leaders of the Marwat Qaumi Tehreek.
In retaliatory fire, security forces also killed another terrorist identified as Kamyab Khan alias Ikhlas Yar, son of Nabuwat Khan, a resident of Kabul Khel Shewa, North Waziristan.
He was wanted by CTD Bannu in several cases involving attacks on police and security forces. Weapons recovered from his possession included a Kalashnikov rifle with two magazines, two hand grenades, a card linked to the banned TTP, a CNIC, and a mobile phone.
With input from our Peshawar correspondent
