https://arab.news/wq9vx
- The operation in Tank came just days after a twin suicide bombing in Bannu this week
- Military’s media wing says weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants
KARACHI: Pakistani security forces killed three militants in an intelligence-based operation in the northwestern Tank district on Saturday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
The operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province occurred days after a twin suicide bombing killed at least 18 people in nearby Bannu. The region has experienced increased militant violence since a ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) collapsed in late 2022.
Pakistan refers to TTP fighters as “khawarij,” a term historically describing an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority and declaring other Muslims apostates.
“On 08 March 2025, Security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Tank District on reported presence of khawarij,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, as a result of which, three khawarij were sent to hell.”
The military recovered weapons and ammunition from the slain militants, who were allegedly involved in numerous attacks against security forces and civilians.
The ISPR informed a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area, expressing the resolve of the security forces to eradicate extremist violence from the country.