Ten terrorists killed in Zhob IBO, says ISPR

ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed ten terrorists belonging to the Indian-backed proxy group “Fitna al Khawarij” during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Zhob district of Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the action followed an earlier IBO conducted on February 24 in Zhob, where eight “Indian-sponsored khawarij” were neutralised.

It said a comprehensive sanitisation operation was launched on February 25 to track down remaining militants linked to the group. “During the operation, our forces tracked down the khawarij on multiple routes and effectively engaged their locations. After an ensuing firefight, ten Indian-sponsored khawarij were eliminated,” the statement said.

According to the ISPR, a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the militants, who were allegedly involved in various terrorist activities in the area.

The military said sanitisation operations were continuing to eliminate any other militants found in the region.

The statement added that ongoing counter-terrorism operations under the vision of "Azm-e-Istehkam," approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace to eradicate what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.