Security forces kill 21 militants in North Waziristan operations: ISPR

Weapons and ammunition recovered from militant hideouts.

Security forces have killed 21 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations carried out in the Miran Shah area and nearby regions of North Waziristan district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

ISPR said the operation involved a fierce exchange of fire between security forces and militants. Among those killed were four key ring leaders identified as Khalid Raza alias Salar, Muftoon, Musa, and Imran alias Ayan.

The military’s media wing stated that the slain militants were involved in multiple terrorist activities, including attacks on security forces and the killing of civilians. Their elimination, it added, has significantly weakened the network operating in the region.

In total, 48 militants have been killed in recent coordinated operations in the area, according to ISPR.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the site. The militants, the statement added, had remained actively involved in terrorist activities against both security forces and civilians.

ISPR further said that sanitisation operations are ongoing to clear the area of any remaining militants.

It added that the ongoing counter-terrorism drive under the national vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam”, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue with full intensity to eliminate terrorism from the country.