Pakistani security forces on Sunday carried out a ground operation in the Bajaur district along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, followed by overnight calibrated strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, officials said. The operation targeted groups seeking to overthrow the Pakistani government, according to Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, said in a statement that the ground operation killed Khan Farosh, described as a “high-value” target, and three other fighters from the U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Tarar said the fighters were “sent to hell while several others were injured.”
The calibrated strikes targeting purported camps and hideouts in the border region were carried out overnight based on “credible intelligence,” Tarar said. “Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at these Marakiz and hideouts were also destroyed,” he added. Tarar said that Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region but “shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority.”
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was formed in 2007 from an alliance of militant groups based on their opposition to the Pakistani military. The group seeks to overthrow the Pakistani government through violence and institute Sharia law, among other changes.
Pakistan accuses the TTP of being behind numerous terrorist attacks and accuses Afghanistan of harboring its fighters. The Afghan Taliban has repeatedly rejected the accusation.