70 India-backed terrorists killed in security forces’ Balochistan operations: ISPR

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The killing of the terrorists delivered a serious blow to Indian-backed Afghan proxies, the military's media wing said in a statement.

The ISPR said that intelligence agencies identified multiple hideouts of militants in the Shaban area of Quetta district, posing a threat to the local population.

"Based on credible intelligence, Pakistan Security Forces launched a swift operation against the terrorists in Ziarat and surrounding areas on September 21," it added.

Security forces engaged terrorists and cleared multiple hideouts during operation Shaban, the ISPR said, adding that 33 militants have been killed so far during intense exchanges of fire, with weapons, ammunition and explosives also recovered.

It said that the operation was intensified over the last 72 hours, resulting in the killing of 23 more terrorists, while security forces have also cleared a vast area and relieved local communities of the threat posed by militants.

The clearance operation is continuing until complete neutralisation of the threat, the military's media said.

In a separate intelligence-based operation in Nushki district on September 25, security forces targeted a militant hideout, killing 11 terrorists, while six more were killed in Mand, with a large cache of weapons and ammunition recovered.

"As the Pakistan Army's operation progresses, more than 71 terrorists have been killed so far in Operation Shaban and other areas of Balochistan in last 96 hours," the ISPR said.

The military's media wing said that the Afghan Taliban regime's involvement in terror activities in Pakistan, backed and sponsored by India, continues to cause loss of precious lives and threatens peace and stability.

It pledged that the counterterrorism campaign will continue with full resolve, with security forces and law enforcement agencies remaining committed to eliminating foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

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