Pakistan security forces pounded the camps of Jamaatul Ahrar terrorist group across the border in Afghanistan on Friday night and destroyed four camps and a training compound, the News International reported military sources as saying.
The strikes were conducted hours after Afghan embassy officials were summoned to the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, where they were handed over a list of 76 militants orchestrating terrorist activities in Pakistan from the Afghan soil. Pakistan has repeatedly warned the Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their soil for terror activities in Pakistan.
There has so far been no official confirmation regarding the developments from the Pakistani military or government, but informed sources told Geo News that the army targeted Jamaatul Ahrar sanctuaries across the border of Khyber and Mohmand tribal agencies. The camps were situated on the Afghan side of the porous border. The army targeted four terrorist camps in Friday’s strikes, besides destroying a training compound of Jamaatul Ahrar, the sources added.
There have been reports that several militants, including the deputy commander of Jamaatul Ahrar Adil Bacha, were killed in the strikes.
Earlier on Friday, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa held a telephonic conversation with US General John Nicholson, Commander of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, conveying his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan from Afghanistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
“Most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan,” General Bajwa told US General John Nicholson. “The COAS said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing our current policy of cross-border restraint,” the ISPR said in a statement.
The US general expressed condolences on loss of precious lives in recent terrorist incidents and assured full assistance in response to General Bajwa’s concerns. The general also shared his plans to undertake special co-ordination at appropriate level between RSM, Afghan security forces and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the security forces have launched full-scale crack down against terrorists after recent spate of terror attacks in the country and killed over a 100 terrorists as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked the security forces to eliminate the terrorists by hunting them down inside and outside the country.
The Sindh Rangers and Police, during their separate encounters, gunned down 27 terrorists belonging to banned outfits, including Daesh, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Jamaatul Ahrar.
Spokesman for the Sindh Rangers said that in the early hours of Friday, soldiers returning from Lal Shahbaz Qalander’s shrine from security duty were attacked on the Super Highway by armed terrorists. One soldier was injured in the attack.
The paramilitary force took positions and had an encounter with the terrorists. In the retaliatory firing by the Rangers, seven terrorists were killed. The Rangers also recovered sophisticated weapons from them. The encounter with the terrorists continued for 35 minutes.
The spokesman added that of the killed terrorists, three were identified while the identity of the remaining four was yet to be ascertained. The killed terrorists belonged to banned Daesh Mufti Abu Zar Burmi group. The killed terrorists were identified as Yaseen alias Chootu, who was the Naib Ameer of the group, and remained involved in target killings on religious and ethnic grounds and also led a chain of killers. Moreover, in 2012-13 he remained involved in sectarian killings. The second accused was Mohamed Arshad alias Noor Alam alias Shoaib who also remained involved in bomb blasts and sectarian killings. Another killed terrorist was identified as Hidayatullah who took training from Miranshah, and remained involved in target killings.
While the paramilitary force was busy in gathering information about the killed terrorists, they received intelligence-based information about the presence of terrorists in the Manghopir area. Thus in the wee hours of Friday, they conducted a raid at the prescribed location.
On seeing the paramilitary force, the terrorists resorted to firing and an encounter took place that lasted for more than an hour. The Rangers, after a brief encounter, gunned down 11 terrorists and during the search of their hideout, recovered a huge cache of weapons and explosives.
The spokesman added that the killed terrorists belonged to the banned LeJ and Jamaatul Ahrar. On the other hand, District Malir police during their Friday evening shootout gunned down nine terrorists, including a bomber.
SSP Rao Anwar said that he was informed that members of a banned outfit were present inside a house situated in the Northern Bypass area. Acting on information, he along with his staff carried out a raid. On seeing the police, the terrorists opened fire which was retaliated and an encounter took place. The police after a brief encounter killed nine terrorists.
SSP Rao Anwar said that one of the killed terrorists was a bomber who was later identified as Razee and according to source report, they were planning to carry out an attack upon the Rangers headquarters. He added that they have also recovered an MP-5, which was recently snatched by the terrorists during an attack on policemen in Karachi.
The killed terrorists belonged to Jamaatul Ahrar and Al Qaeda. Further investigations are underway.
At least 25 militants were killed as the authorities intensified targeted actions against the outlaws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, officials said.
The authorities closed the Torkham border and other crossing points with Afghanistan and launched specific actions against the terrorists. Nine militants of the outlawed Jamaatul Ahrar group of Taliban were killed while 10 of their hideouts located in Parchao, the hilly area with Loey Shalman in Landikotal, were destroyed in Khyber Agency.
“Responding to the terrorists’ activities in various places in Pakistan, we have launched attacks to target militants’ sanctuaries situated near the Afghan border,” an official requesting anonymity said.
He said the security forces used heavy weapons and mortar shells and hit several training centres of Omar Khalid Khorasani, the head of the Jamaatul Ahrar operating from Afghanistan. He said two soldiers Noorullah and Ameer Nawaz were wounded when terrorists attacked a Pakistani checkpost in Loey Shalman area Thursday night.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked the armed forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate the enemies of the people with full force of the state. “It is an obligation on us towards future generations and others who are facing oppression,” he said
The Prime Minister House stated on Friday evening that Nawaz Sharif has reminded, “We must hold firm, but reject fear and renounce this depravity wherever we see it with a moral rebuke we reserve only for the most heinous.”
He expressed confidence that the war will end, and it will conclude with the victory of Pakistani people, “including our positive values that bind us”. “I direct and authorise my armed forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate the enemy where ever they are with the full force of the state,” he stated.
The army targeted four terrorist camps in Friday’s strikes, besides destroying a training compound of Jamaatul Ahrar.
