ISLAMABAD: Security forces Saturday killed a militant in the North Waziristan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) they conducted against the reported presence of terror outfits there.
According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the offensive was carried out in the Spinwam town of North Waziristan.
“During intense exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed,” the military’s media wing said, adding that weapon and ammunition were also recovered from his possession.
The slain militant was involved in attacks on security forces, the statement shared. It said the locals appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to the army in its bid to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the border town.
The attacks came a day after clashes between the security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan killed two people and wounded several in the border region.
The forces started exchanging fire in a dispute over the setting up of a military check post in a southwestern border area that divides Chaman and Spin Boldak districts, three security officials told Reuters.
Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes that later spread to several nearby villages.
“It is regrettable that the Pakistani security officials first opened the fire,” Afghan Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet.
Two civilians were killed and 22 wounded on the Afghan side, a local Taliban spokesman Mohammad Asif Hakimi said.
Five Taliban soldiers were also wounded, he said.
Pakistan Army has stepped up security operations along the Afghan border in recent weeks after a spate of militant attacks.
Afghanistan-based militant factions have martyred at least 14 soldiers in attacks over the past month.
The Taliban have denied Afghan territory was used to stage the attacks.
— With input from Reuters
