Pakistani forces kill 13 militants in separate engagements in restive northwest — military

• The operations were conducted in Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan districts against Pakistani Taliban
• The uptick in militant violence last month triggered fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed 13 Pakistani Taliban militants in separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military said on Friday, amid an uptick in attacks in the South Asian country.

The intelligence-based operations were conducted in KP’s Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan districts against the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has stepped up its attacks against security forces in recent years.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the deceased “Indian-sponsored” militants, who remained actively involved in “numerous terrorist activities” and target killing of civilians.

“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji (militant) found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the Pakistani military’s statement.

KP, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militancy in recent years. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.

A day earlier, the Pakistani military said it had killed 23 militants in multiple operations in KP’s Kurram district.

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.

The uptick in militant violence last month triggered fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, but tensions between the neighbors remain high.