PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces acting on intelligence killed 30 militants in multiple raids on Pakistani Taliban hideouts in the country’s northwestern region where insurgents this week ambushed a security convoy, killing 11 soldiers, the military said on Friday.
The raids were conducted in Orakzai, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a military convoy came under attack Wednesday, the military said in a statement. The ambush “martyred” 11 soldiers, including two senior officers.
According to the statement, all 30 militants were killed in the raids on Wednesday and Thursday and identified as members of “Khwarij”, a term the government uses for militants it accuses of being backed by India, including those associated with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
“These successful operations have avenged the heinous act and brought the main perpetrators to justice,” the statement said. It added that operations were continuing to hunt and eliminate any other “Indian-sponsored Khwarij” in the area, reaffirming that Pakistan’s forces remain determined to eradicate terrorism from the country.
Pakistan has long accused New Delhi of supporting separatists in Balochistan and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations India denies. In a brief statement Wednesday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the convoy ambush in Orakzai and other areas.
The latest development came a day after Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Parliament that Pakistan would show “no leniency” in responding to such attacks. He said the country would target “those places from where insurgents attack our security forces.”
He also urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government to prevent the use of Afghan soil for attacks on Pakistan. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the TTP. The group — separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban — has been emboldened since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021.
Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to operate from sanctuaries across the Afghan border, straining relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
By RIAZ KHAN
Associated Press
