In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the militants belonged to the Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan.
The state designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
The ISPR stated that an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted in the Chiltan mountain range in Quetta district on the reported presence of terrorists.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, 14 Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” it said.
The ISPR further stated that another IBO was conducted in Buleda in Kech district, where a hideout was busted and four militants were “successfully neutralised”.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities,” the ISPR said.
It said that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area, adding that the counter-terrorism campaign by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and -supported terrorism from the country.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement posted on social media platform X, paid tribute to security forces for eliminating 18 militants. He said that the operation was a reflection of security forces’ determination to eradicate terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said the entire nation stood with the country’s security forces in the fight against terrorism. In a statement, he also reiterated the firm commitment to eradicating terrorism in all its forms from the country, Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly in KP and Balochistan, mostly targeting police, law enforcement personnel, and security forces. The spike followed the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s breach of a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.
A day earlier, at least six Pakistan Army soldiers, including a captain, were martyred, while seven terrorists were killed during an IBO in Dogar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district. According to the military, seven terrorists were also killed in the operation.