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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated the government&rsquo;s resolve to eliminate terrorism, praising the role and sacrifices of the country&rsquo;s security forces during a one-day visit to Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Balochistan.&nbsp;Addressing political leaders in a live briefing aired on state television, Sharif said the fight against militancy was ongoing and required national unity. The visit included high-level meetings on governance and development in the province, according to Radio Pakistan.&nbsp;Upon his arrival at the Governor House, the prime minister was presented a guard of honor by a contingent of the Balochistan Police, a Governor House press release said.&nbsp;The meeting was attended by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, federal ministers, Dr Ahsan Iqbal, Aleem Khan and Rana Sanaullah, as well as senior political figures from the province.&nbsp;During his address, Sharif praised Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for leading counter-terrorism operations. He said it was &ldquo;unfortunate&rdquo; that Balochistan continued to suffer from militant violence, adding that the contribution of the armed forces could not be overstated.&nbsp;&ldquo;Like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan has faced immense difficulties due to terrorism,&rdquo; Sharif said, referring to another northwestern province that has experienced years of militant attacks.&nbsp;&ldquo;Be it the soldiers and officers of the army, Rangers personnel, officials of the Levies, or the common people, their sacrifices will be remembered in history,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Sharif said banned militant groups, which the state refers to as Fitna-al-Khawarij, a term Islamabad uses for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, were receiving support from &ldquo;neighboring countries.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;But we are firm in our resolve to eradicate terrorism,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Referring to recent tensions with India in May last year, the prime minister said Field Marshal Munir had led Pakistan&rsquo;s response, adding that New Delhi had been &ldquo;taught a lesson it will never forget.&rdquo;&nbsp;The prime minister also said the provincial government, working closely with the federal authorities, was taking &ldquo;serious, coordinated, and result-oriented measures&rdquo; to address Balochistan&rsquo;s long-standing underdevelopment and integrate it into Pakistan&rsquo;s economic mainstream, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.

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In Quetta, PM Shehbaz Sharif underscores Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, honours security forces’ sacrifices, and stresses unity and development for Balochistan.

PM Sharif visits Quetta, praises forces, reaffirms Pakistan’s anti-terror resolve

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces killed 22 terrorists belonging to Indian-backed Fitna al-Khawarij in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa&#39;s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military&#39;s media affairs wing said on Thursday.&nbsp; According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the conduct of the operation, the forces &quot;effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange, twenty-two khwarij were sent to hell.&quot; &quot;Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored Kharji found in the area, as the relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision &ldquo;Azm-e-Istehkam&rdquo; (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,&quot; ISPR said.&nbsp; Earlier this week, the security forces killed 22 terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy group.&nbsp; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had stated that the entire nation stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces in the struggle, reaffirming the government&rsquo;s resolve to stamp out terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The army's media wing says Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

Security forces kill 22 Indian-backed terrorists: military 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces killed 23 militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in two intelligence-based operations between Nov. 16 and Nov. 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a statement issued by the military&rsquo;s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). ISPR said the first operation took place in Bajaur district, which borders eastern Afghanistan, where 11 militants were killed, including what the statement described as &ldquo;ring leader Sajjad Abuzar.&rdquo; In a separate operation in Bannu district, 12 additional militants were killed, the ISPR statement added. Security sources also confirmed that last week, in another operation in the Kulachi tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district, forces killed at least 10 terrorists, including a commander. The sources said that &ldquo;four terrorists were also injured&rdquo; during that operation, identifying the dead as &ldquo;Alam Mehsud, Sari, Sajid, and Tariq.&rdquo; According to ISPR, follow-up sanitization operations are underway to eliminate any remaining &ldquo;Indian-sponsored Khawarij found in the area.&rdquo; Pakistan uses the term &quot;khawarij&quot; to refer to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella network of armed terrorist groups. The military emphasized that counterterrorism efforts would continue under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework, stating that forces would operate &ldquo;at full pace to wipe out the threats of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.&rdquo;

Pakistan security forces killed 23 TTP-linked militants in Bajaur and Bannu, with additional militants eliminated in Dera Ismail Khan, as counterterrorism operations intensified under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework

Articles tagged with "security forces"

PM Sharif visits Quetta, praises forces, reaffirms Pakistan’s anti-terror resolve

Security forces kill 22 Indian-backed terrorists: military

Pakistan forces kill 23 militants in dual Khyber Pakhtunkhwa operations: army