Pakistani security forces have killed 33 terrorists in counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan since Sept 21.

According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on 25 September, recent operations by military forces targeted and killed terrorists from “Fitna Al-Khawarij” and “Fitna Al-Hindustan. The terms like Fitna Al-Khawarij and Fitna Al-Hindustan are used by Islamabad to refer to Balochistan-based groups and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), respectively.

Paying tributes to the security forces for the successful operations, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said: “Eliminating 33 India-backed terrorists in Balochistan is a commendable achievement for the security forces.”

“The nefarious designs of India-backed terrorist elements will be thwarted at all costs,” President Zardari added.

The ISPR, the military’s media affairs wing, said that on Sept 24, as part of the ongoing Operation Shaban, security forces “busted additional terrorist hideouts, and after an intense fire exchange, five “India-sponsored terrorists” were killed. This took the tally of killed terrorists to 22, it added.

“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from khawarij locations. The clearance operation will continue till the complete neutralisation of threat from the area,” the statement said.

In another engagement on Sept 25, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Nushki district.

“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged [the] terrorists’ hideout and after an intense fire exchange, 11 terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR stated.

“[The] relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by [the] Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign-sponsored and -supported terrorism from the country,” the military’s media wing added.

Balochistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks in recent weeks, prompting security forces to intensify counter-terrorism operations. The number of terrorist attacks in the province increased by seven per cent from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.