In a major achievement in fight against terrorism, security forces gunned down as many as 27 terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Kacchi district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.
In a statement, the military’s media wing said that on January 12 security forces conducted the IBO in the remote district on reported presence of terrorists.
During the conduct of operation, troops “stealthily surrounded & effectively engaged the terrosits’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, twenty seven terrorists were sent to hell”.
Multiple hideouts, including caches of arms, ammunition and explosives, were also destroyed during the operation, the ISPR added.
The slain terrorists were involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as innocent civilians and were highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies, as per the ISPR.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan.”
The nation has been reeling under rising violent attacks since the Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by Centre for Security and Strategic Studies.
Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, The News reported citing CRSS report.
The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year.
The violence took the heaviest toll on KP which topped in human losses with 1,616 fatalities, followed by Balochistan with 782 fatalities. In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked fatalities and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws.
This tally of casualties stemmed from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for the country’s security landscape.
