RAWALPINDI:
Security forces killed 22 Indian-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Monday, the military said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation targeted the reported presence of “Khwarij belonging to an Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khwarij” – a term used for terrorists associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“On November 24, 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district on the reported presence of Khwarij belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khwarij,” the ISPR statement said.
“During the operation, our troops effectively engaged the Khwarij locality and after an intense exchange of fire, 22 Khwarij were neutralized,” the military’s media wing added.
After the IBO, decontamination operations are underway to eliminate any remaining Indian-sponsored Khwarij in the area.
“The relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ (as endorsed by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan) by Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue at full speed to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country,” the statement said. The IBO followed hours after paramilitary Federal Constabulary (FC) soldiers fought off several assailants, including a suicide bomber, who tried to storm their headquarters in Peshawar during a morning parade.
The suicide attack killed three soldiers and left 11 others injured, including seven civilians. Officials said two terrorists who tried to force their way into the area were eliminated in a fierce gun battle.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for their successful operation against Khwarij in Bannu. Both leaders praised the troops for their timely and effective response in eliminating 22 terrorists from the Indian-backed Fitna al-Khwarij.
“Eliminating the Indian-backed Khwarij is the government’s top priority. The martyrs and war veterans (ghazis) are the nation’s pride,” President Zardari said, hailing the soldiers’ courage.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed national solidarity with the armed forces and said: “We are determined to cleanse the country of terrorism in all its forms.”
(WITH ACCESS FROM APP)
