Four India-sponsored terrorists killed in Lakki Marwat IBO: ISPR

• Troops engage militants in intense overnight exchange: ISPR.
• Weapons and ammunition recovered from slain terrorists.
• Military vows to continue relentless counter-terrorism drive.

Security forces neutralised four India-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

The IBO was conducted on the night between February 18 and 19 following the reported presence of ” khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the military’s media wing said.

It added that troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and killed the terrorists after an intense fire exchange during the operation.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

A sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area.

“The relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision “Azm-e-Istehkam” (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement added.

Pakistan has experienced a rise in cross-border terrorist incidents since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The provinces of KP and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, have been particularly affected by these attacks.

Earlier this week, at least 12 terrorists belonging to an India-backed proxy were killed while 11 security personnel embraced martyrdom in a terrorist attack in the KP’s Bajaur district.

The military’s media wing said that the cowardly terrorist attack was attempted on a joint checkpost of the security forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).