By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed seven terrorists in a high-stakes intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Sherani district, the military announced on Friday, marking another blow to militant groups in the restive region.
The operation, conducted on October 1, targeted members of a banned group linked to Indian sponsorship, according to the military’s media affairs wing. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the operation was launched based on credible intelligence about the presence of terrorists belonging to Fitna al Khawarij, a term used by authorities to describe members of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The TTP, a militant group responsible for numerous deadly attacks across Pakistan, has been a persistent threat, particularly since it ended a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, seven Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement said.
The military also recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the site, noting that the slain militants had been actively involved in “numerous terrorist activities” in the area. A sanitization operation is underway to clear the area of any remaining threats, the ISPR added. “The security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country, and reaffirm the nation’s unwavering resolve to bring the perpetrators of terrorism to justice.”
The operation comes amid a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel have been frequent targets. Two reports released on Wednesday by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) and the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) highlighted the escalating violence, noting that the first three quarters of 2025 have seen nearly as many attacks as the entirety of 2024.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the armed forces for their success in Sherani, emphasising the government’s resolve to combat terrorism. “We will never allow those who seek to harm Pakistan’s integrity to succeed,” Sharif said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
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