ISLAMABAD: Six militants were gunned down in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on Wednesday in Pakistan's restive northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the military's media wing said.
Militant violence has surged across Pakistan in recent months after the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off a fragile, months-long truce with the government in November last year.
The group has since mounted attacks against police and security forces in Pakistan's northwestern and southwestern regions that border Afghanistan and Iran. The TTP is a separate group but shares common ideals with the Afghan Taliban.
The IBO took place in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed in a statement. "During intense exchange of fire, 6 x terrorists were killed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists," the ISPR said.
It added that the slain militants were "actively involved in terrorist activities" against Pakistan's security forces and civilians.
"Locals of the area appreciated the Security Forces response and expressed their full support to eliminate menace of terrorism from the area," the military's media wing said.
Islamabad's ties with Kabul remain strained over cross-border militancy. Pakistan has called on the interim Afghan government to rein in TTP militants and prevent them from mounting attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil. Senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, have warned Afghanistan that Pakistan reserves the right to conduct cross-border operations to protect its people.
The Afghan Taliban assured Pakistan's defense minister last month that the country faced no threat from Afghanistan. The high-level meeting took place in Kabul after the Torkham border crossing, which connects the two countries, remained closed for a few days following sporadic border clashes.
