Pakistan says 24 militants killed in raids near Afghan border
The military said intelligence-led operations in the northwest followed attacks in Bannu that wounded police officers and civilians.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Pakistani security forces killed 24 militants in raids near the Afghan border, the military said Friday, after attacks earlier in the week in the northwestern district of Bannu. The operations add to a widening counterterrorism campaign in a region where Pakistan says armed groups have used cross-border sanctuaries.
The military said the raids were carried out over the previous 24 hours and targeted militant hideouts using intelligence. It said those killed included members of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatist groups, and that forces seized weapons during the operations.
Local officials and the military said the actions took place in Pakistan’s northwest, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. The military described the raids as a response to two militant attacks on Wednesday.
In one of those attacks, the military said, a suicide bomber drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into police officers and civilians. A little-known militant group also attacked a police station in Bannu, wounding several officers, according to officials cited by The Associated Press.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces in separate statements Friday. They described the response to the Bannu attacks as quick and effective, and said the government remained focused on eliminating terrorism and holding perpetrators accountable.
The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, is distinct from the Afghan Taliban but allied with it, according to Pakistani officials. Islamabad has often accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of allowing militants to stage attacks across the border.
The government in Kabul has repeatedly denied those accusations, according to The Associated Press. The TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group, have often claimed responsibility for attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan has carried out several strikes since last year that it says were aimed at TTP positions near the Afghan border. Islamabad also alleges that militant groups receive support from India, a claim New Delhi denies.
Zardari and Sharif repeated the allegation against India in their Friday statements, according to The Associated Press. The Indian government has rejected Pakistan’s claims of support for the groups.
The military said Pakistani forces plan to continue Azm-e-Istehkam, translated as “Resolve for Stability,” a nationwide counterterrorism campaign approved last year under the National Action Plan. The military said the campaign is intended to dismantle militant networks across the country.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.