Six militants killed, four injured in Bannu operation: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed six militants (Khawarij) and injured four others during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted during the night between April 23 and 24 on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area.

The ISPR said the forces effectively targeted the militants’ hideout, killing six militants after a fierce exchange of fire. Four others were injured, it said.

“A clearance operation is ongoing to eliminate any remaining militants in the area,” ISPR added.

The military reiterated its resolve to root out terrorism from the country.

On April 21, security forces killed six militants, including a most-wanted ringleader, Zabiullah Zakran, in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Those operations, carried out on the night between April 20 and 21, targeted militant hideouts in North Waziristan’s Razmak area, where five militants were killed, the ISPR had said.

Earlier on the day, four Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary troops were killed in a blast near Quetta on Friday, the interior minister said.

Two police officers who asked not to be named told AFP that security vehicles hit a roadside improvised bomb early in Margat Chowki, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

“The sacrifices of FC (border) soldiers for peace in Balochistan will always be remembered,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said, adding that four people were killed.