Pakistan’s security forces have intensified counterterrorism operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeting hideouts and networks linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as part of efforts to eliminate foreign-backed terrorist networks operating in the province.
Under Operation 11 Garaj in Kurram, security forces launched an intelligence-based operation against a TTP hideout after receiving precise information about the presence of terrorists in the area.
The operation forced the surviving terrorists to flee their hideout and seek cover in a nearby wooded area. As they attempted to escape while reportedly dragging the bodies of their dead associates with them, a drone tracked their movement.
The drone subsequently carried out a precision strike on the terrorists’ position, eliminating three TTP terrorists and injuring several others.
One of those eliminated in the strike was identified as an Afghan national, underscoring the presence of foreign nationals among terrorist networks operating in the region.
Security forces have launched a sanitization operation in the area to locate any remaining terrorists and secure the terrain.
The operation is part of intensified counterterrorism efforts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces have increasingly relied on intelligence-based operations and precision strikes to disrupt terrorist hideouts and prevent fleeing terrorists from regrouping.
The use of drone surveillance in the Kurram operation also enabled security forces to maintain tracking of the fleeing terrorists after they abandoned their hideout and moved into dense vegetation, allowing the strike to be directed at their new position.
Security forces remain engaged in a broader clearance operation across Kurram and other parts of the province, targeting terrorist networks, their hideouts and support infrastructure.
