11 killed in Pakistan near Afghan border

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The Pakistan army killed at least 11 militants in an operation in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Afghanistan on Thursday.

In a statement late Thursday, the Pakistan army said security forces conducted an operation in Wana town of South Waziristan district along the Afghan border and “successfully foiled a high-profile terrorist activity.”

“During intense exchange of fire, 11 terrorists, including terrorist commander Hafiz Ullah alias Tor Hafiz and two suicide bombers, were killed. A huge quantity of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorists,” said Inter-Services Public Relations, the army’s media wing.

Those killed were involved in activities against security forces and killing of police in the South Waziristan district, said the military.

The latest action came after the National Security Committee (NSC), the top body of civilian and military leadership, warned that no country would be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

On Monday, the NSC, after its two-day long meeting to discuss the country’s economic and security situation, said that militants would be dealt with the full force of the state.

Meanwhile, at least five policemen were wounded in attacks in Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts on Thursday.

Pakistan has seen a surge in attacks from the Afghan side of the border since the Taliban’s storming back to power in Kabul in August 2021.

Islamabad has been urging the Taliban to live up to their commitments to rein in “terrorist” groups and not to allow them to use Afghan soil as a launch pad for attacks.