12 terrorists killed in Balochistan IBOs

RAWALPINDI:

Security forces killed 12 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the Washuk and Mastung districts of Balochistan, the military's media wing said on Thursday.

The federal government last year officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as 'Fitna al-Hindustan', accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these outfits.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), high-tempo intelligence-driven operations were conducted as part of the ongoing "Rad-ul-Fitna-3" campaign, which it described as a counterterrorism operation aimed at eliminating Indian proxies.

"On August 5, movement of six terrorists was picked up by the security forces in Washuk District. Own troops effectively engaged these terrorists. As a result of precise and skilful engagement, all six terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al Hindustan, were sent to hell," it said.

It said another intelligence-based operation was carried out in Mastung district on August 6, where six more terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire. The military added that a terrorist hideout was also destroyed.

The ISPR said security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue operations under the "Azm-e-Istehkam" initiative, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces for successful intelligence-based operations conducted under Radd-ul-Fitna III in Balochistan's Washuk and Mastung districts, in which 12 India-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan terrorists were killed.

In separate statements issued by the Presidency and the Prime Minister's Office, both leaders commended the professionalism, courage and operational efficiency of the security forces in eliminating the terrorists in two distinct successful actions.

President Zardari said the successful operations against India-backed terrorists were a manifestation of the resolve, courage and skill of Pakistan's security forces.

He said Fitna-al-Hindustan and its facilitators were enemies of peace, stability and progress in Pakistan, and vowed that their nefarious designs would be defeated at all costs.

The president reiterated the state's unwavering commitment to ridding the country of terrorism from every corner, and reaffirmed the nation's full solidarity with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies safeguarding the country's territorial integrity and the lives of its citizens.

He prayed for eternal peace for the personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty and for the health and recovery of those injured in operations against terrorism. "May Allah Almighty bless every corner of Pakistan with peace and stability, and grant our security forces success on every front," the president prayed.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his statement, also praised the security forces for their successful actions against Fitna-al-Hindustan terrorists in Washuk and Mastung, and lauded them for killing 12 terrorists during the operations.

The prime minister said that under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, security forces were achieving remarkable success against terrorism, reaffirming that the government is fully committed to the complete elimination of terrorism from the country in all its forms.

Both the president and the prime minister expressed the nation's gratitude to the security forces for their sacrifices and vowing that the war against terrorism would continue until peace and stability were fully restored across the country.