Islamabad: The Pakistan Army on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to continue its fight against terrorism through targeted action until the last extremist is eliminated.
Inter-Services Public Relations chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who is also the spokesperson of the army, said that so far 32,173 intelligence-based operations were carried out in the current year, with 4,021 of them conducted in the past month where 90 Taliban militants were killed.
Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi on counterterrorism efforts, security situation and other related issues, he said that security forces “carry out more than 130 operations daily” to combat terrorism.
“The war against Fitna al-Khawarij and terrorism will continue till the eradication of the last khariji and terrorist,” he said.
The term Fitna ak-Khawarij is used for the violence by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
The spokesperson also said that 193 soldiers died were killed in the past eight months of 2024.
He said a successful operation was carried out since August 20 in the Tirah valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the Fitna al-Khawarij and banned Lashkar-i-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, leading to the killing of 37 terrorists while 14 others were injured.
“Those sent to hell also included highly wanted khariji leader Abuzar urf Saddam,” Sharif said, adding that four soldiers were also killed.
The press conference comes after concerns about security in Balochistan following a spate of terror attacks on August 26, and the army spokesman also talked about the wave of terrorism in the restive province.
He said the deadly August 26 terror attacks were carried out “on the directives of internal and external enemies and their enablers” with the aim “to impact Balochistan’s peaceful environment and development by targeting innocent people”.
He said that the security forces eliminated 21 terrorists while 14 security men were killed.
He rejected the impression of keeping Balochistan backward, saying the province made all-round progress in health, education and road infrastructure but the narrative of deprivation and backwardness regarding the province was still there.
“We know that a sense of deprivation and state force is also found among the people of Balochistan, which certain elements exploit on external directives,” he said.
The spokesperson also said that development projects were being targeted by militants who blow up bridges and kill workers to impact the economic progress of the province. They also know that by doing so they would also promote a sense of deprivation and exploit it.
He also said 80 per cent of workers employed on various projects belonged to Balochistan.
He noted that the war against terrorism was being fought with an integrated strategy and ruled out the presence of any no-go areas in the country. “There is no area where terrorists are active,” he said.
He also said that the security forces cleared an area spanning 46,000 square kilometres from terrorists.
He addressed the spike in terror incidents since the Afghan Taliban-led administration came to power in Kabul, saying those attempting to create discord between the two brotherly nations are “living in an imaginary world”.
The pressure comes as terrorist attacks across the country surged to 59 in August, compared to July’s 38, according to a digital database maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank.
