According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an exchange of fire occurred between security personnel and terrorists in the Bagh area of Khyber district on July 27. During the operation, one terrorist was killed, and ammunition was recovered from his possession.
In another encounter a day later in Gomal Zam area of South Waziristan district, security forces gunned down two terrorists, the ISPR said.
The ISPR highlighted that the slain terrorists had been actively involved in perpetrating terror activities against security forces and were also responsible for the ruthless killings of innocent civilians.
At present, “the area is undergoing sanitisation operations” to ensure the elimination of any other terrorists in hiding, according to the ISPR’s statement.
Notably, local residents in the area lauded the operation and expressed their unwavering support to completely eradicate the menace of terrorism, the statement added.
Earlier this month, as many as 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan.
This was the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 10 personnel were martyred in a ‘fire raid’ in Balochistan’s Kech district in February 2022.
Increase in terror attacks
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the outlawed TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
Earlier this month, four security personnel were martyred while a terrorist was killed after police and Levies checkposts in the Dhana Sar area of Balochistan’s Sherani subdistrict came under attack.
A report released this month by think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.
In June, a police officialas martyred and two more were injured in a suicide attack on a police van in Balochistan’s Turbat.
In an earlier incident the same month, two soldiers were martyred after a security forces’ checkpost in the Kech district along the Pakistan-Iran border came under attack.
In a press conference in June, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the security forces conducted 13,619 intelligence operations this year in which 1,172 terrorists were killed or arrested.
“On a daily basis, over 77 operations are being carried out by armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement agencies to rid of the menace of terrorism,” he said.
The first half of the current year has witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks claiming the lives of 389 people across the country, according to a report released by think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The report reveals that a total of 271 attacks occurred during the period under review, claiming 389 lives and injuring 656 others. The same period last year witnessed 151 attacks, causing 293 deaths and 487 injuries. The figures represent a staggering 79 per cent increase in militant attacks during the first half of 2023 compared to the corresponding period last year.
The second half of 2022 recorded 228 attacks, resulting in 246 fatalities and 349 injuries. Thus, the first six months of 2023 witnessed an 18pc rise in attacks compared to the second half of 2022, accompanied by a 58pc increase in fatalities and 88pc in injuries.
Security forces have also stepped up their response to terrorism, killing at least 236 militants
The PICSS data shows a 51pc rise in terror attacks in tribal districts of KP during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, though there was a 10pc and 15pc decline in fatalities compared to the first and second half of last year, respectively.
Mainland KP experienced a striking 108pc rise in terror incidents during the first six months of 2023 compared to the corresponding period last year and a 25pc increase compared to the second half of 2022.
Balochistan reported 75 terror incidents in the first half of 2023, resulting in 100 deaths and 163 injuries. The data reveals a 103pc increase in terror attacks compared to the same period in the previous year, and a 14pc rise compared to the last six months of 2022. Fatalities in Balochistan rose by 61pc and 64pc in the first six months of the current year compared to the first and second half of 2022, respectively.
Sindh experienced a slight decline in terror incidents, with 13 reported attacks in the first six months of 2023, resulting in 19 deaths and the same number of injuries.
Fatalities in Sindh rose by 27pc compared to the first half of the previous year, while a 171pc increase was observed compared to the last six months of 2022.
Punjab has witnessed a significant rise in terror-related incidents during the first six months of 2023, with eight reported attacks, resulting in six deaths and 10 injuries.
A concerning surge in suicide attacks has also been observed during the first half of 2023, with 13 such attacks resulting in 142 deaths and 309 injuries. In comparison, only five suicide attacks were reported during the corresponding period of the previous year, causing 77 deaths and 225 injuries.