Anti-terrorism operations continue to ‘sanitize’ Pakistan

Two terrorists were eliminated by security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan district, Dawn website reported.

Pakistani government confirmed Monday that separate counterterrorism raids near the Afghan border within the past week had killed two senior leaders of a regional Islamic State affiliate known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K).

One terrorist ringleader, Abu Hamza, had plotted two back-to-back bomb attacks against campaign gatherings in Qila Saifullah and the nearby Pishin border districts on the eve of national elections held last Thursday, while the other, Surat Gul, was involved in “numerous terrorist activities including [the] target killing of innocent civilians”.