Security forces have killed 22 terrorists and injured 18 others in various intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the Tirah valley in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since December 14, the media wing of the army.
A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said: “Of late, numerous terrorist incidents have taken place in the general area of Tirah, Khyber district, against security forces and innocent civilians, resulting in several casualties. “.
Later, the ISPR said security forces were carrying out extensive IBOs in the area against terrorists, as 22 were “successfully neutralized” and 18 injured since December 14.
The ISPR added that the IBOs would continue until peace was restored in the area and the terrorists were eliminated. “Pakistan’s security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism in the country,” he concluded.
An encounter took place on Tuesday in the general area of Tirah Valley, where security forces “successfully neutralized two terrorists.”
The armed terrorists, affiliated with various groups, are believed to have been gradually moving from the plains of the Tirah Valley, taking shelter in empty houses in the mountainous terrain, as security forces fortified their positions in key locations in the valley.
Sources in the region had said Sunrise that the situation in most parts of the valley was calm and no major terrorism-related incident was reported last month.
They said the armed terrorists, who were frequently seen in different parts of the Tirah Valley, had returned to Afghanistan or moved to the border district of Orakzai, with some choosing to “settled” in partially damaged houses in the outlying mountainous areas. to avoid the public. attention.
Sources had said that the terrorists had moved to the villages of Sanda Paal, Dray Naghari and Daroota before taking shelter in empty houses.
They said those areas were abandoned by residents in November in anticipation of a military operation after an increase in terrorist attacks on military convoys and security checkpoints.
Residents of Kamarkhel, Takhtaki, Ghulam Ali and Sukh villages said Sunrise that the terrorists would suddenly break into their homes and demand food and other essential items.
They said the “unwanted” presence of terrorists in their homes “at strange times” had led to constant fear of targeted action by security forces to shelter them.
The residents insisted that the terrorists had not caused them any personal harm, so they could not deny them food or shelter, especially when they were heavily armed.
Local sources claimed that the terrorists were always on the move fearing a targeted operation by the security forces.
Regarding the identity and affiliations of the terrorists, they revealed that the gunmen were associated with banned groups Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-i-Islam, Amarat-i-Islami and Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, that were operational in parts of the valley.
Sources said that although the exact number of terrorists who had moved to the mountainous areas was not known for fear of a full-fledged military operation, in total they were between 70 and 100, with the rest fleeing the valley for the time being.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a rise in terrorist activities, especially in KP and Balochistan.
Terrorist attacks have increased since the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.
With at least 685 security forces personnel losing their lives amid a total of 444 terrorist attacks, 2024 turned out to be the deadliest year for Pakistan’s military and civilian security forces in a decade, according to a 2024 report released by the Think-tank Center for Research and Security Studies.
According to the ISPR director general, security forces carried out a total of 59,775 operations last year during which 925 terrorists were killed and 383 officers and soldiers were martyred.
