By ISPR
NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Security forces have killed 22 terrorists in an ongoing operation in North Waziristan, according to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), as part of a continuing clearance and sanitization drive in the volatile Shewa area.
The operation, which began on 17 May, remains underway and is aimed at dismantling terrorist hideouts and restoring what officials describe as long-term stability in the region.
In a statement, the ISPR said troops engaged suspected terrorist positions over the past 24 hours, resulting in the deaths of 22 individuals referred to as “India-sponsored terrorists”, a term the military routinely uses for groups it alleges are backed externally. The claim has not been independently verified.
Authorities said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site and added that the individuals were allegedly involved in multiple attacks in North Waziristan in the past. Officials also claimed that evidence suggested local civilians had been coerced and used as human shields during terrorist activity, although no independent confirmation of these assertions was provided.
The military said the area had been cordoned off and clearance operations were continuing, with security forces conducting search operations to eliminate any remaining threats. The statement said the objective was to fully clear the region of terrorist presence and restore normalcy for local residents.
Counter-terrorism operations in North Waziristan have continued intermittently over recent years as part of broader efforts to contain insurgent activity along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Officials said operations would continue until what they described as the complete eradication of militancy from the area.
The latest action comes amid an ongoing security drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining tribal districts, where security forces have intensified intelligence-based operations targeting suspected terrorist networks.
