RAWALPINDI: Security forces killed at least 15 terrorists during a series of intelligence-based operations conducted in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, military and security officials said on Saturday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), eight terrorists were eliminated during two separate intelligence-driven operations carried out in Balochistan’s Kharan and Mastung districts on June 25 and 26 as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
The military’s media wing stated that security forces detected the movement of a group of militants in Kharan district on June 25 and launched an operation. The operation resulted in the killing of three suspected militants and injuries to several others.
A day later, troops conducted a pre-emptive intelligence-based operation in Mastung district after receiving information regarding the possible presence of a suicide bomber. During an exchange of fire, security personnel killed five militants, including the suspected suicide attacker.
ISPR said security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and motorcycles allegedly used by the militants during the operation.
Separately, security forces killed at least seven militants during an operation in the Ghora Baka Khel area of Baka Khel tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Friday, according to security sources.
The operation was launched after authorities received intelligence regarding the movement of a suspicious vehicle reportedly carrying weapons and explosives. Acting on the information, security forces targeted the vehicle, which had been parked near a government school, using a quadcopter.
Officials said the vehicle was carrying a significant cache of weapons, including a 12.7mm machine gun, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and mortar shells. The resulting explosion destroyed the vehicle and killed all seven occupants, according to initial reports.
Meanwhile, police in Bannu discovered four bullet-riddled bodies inside an ambulance found on the CPEC Circular Road on Friday.
Police officials said preliminary investigations indicated that unidentified assailants opened fire on the ambulance, killing the four middle-aged men believed to have been inside. Authorities suspect the attack took place late Thursday night.
The bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for medico-legal procedures, while investigations are underway to determine the motive behind the attack and identify those responsible.