Eight "terrorists" killed in Pakistan's South Waziristan operation

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], March 16 (ANI): Pakistani security forces killed eight people whom they called "terrorists" during an operation in South Waziristan, ARY News quoted Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday.
According to the Pakistani army's media wing, the security forces carried out an operation after getting information about the presence of terrorists in the Zinghara area of South Waziristan, and in the exchange for fire between them, 8 "terrorists" were killed.
During the operation, two Pakistan Army soldiers were injured and two children were also killed, according to the ISPR.
A few days ago, five "terrorists" were gunned down by security forces in an operation following an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan's Datta Khel general area a day earlier, reported ARY News.
According to the ISPR, an intelligence-based operation (IBO) -- conducted in North and South Waziristan Districts -- was followed by a sanitization of the area by security forces.
"During intense exchange of fire, five more terrorists were killed," the ISPR said.
Weapons, ammunition, and a large quantity of equipment were also recovered from the killed terrorists. Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from every inch of our territory with an unflinching resolve, according to ARY News.
The ISPR said area locals "appreciated the security forces responded and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area".
Looking at the rise in the criminal cases and the attack on police in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, a US State Department report, earlier, had warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was aiming to push the government of Pakistan out of the province and establish Sharia by waging a terrorist campaign against the military and state, the Dawn reported.
According to the 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism, the TTP uses the tribal belt along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to train and deploy its operatives.
As per a US State Department report, TTP draws ideological guidance from Al Qaeda, while elements of AQ rely in part on TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
"This arrangement has given TTP access to both AQ's global terrorist network and its members' operational expertise," the report stated.
Further, according to the report, Pakistan "experienced significant terrorist activity" during the year in review -- 2021.
Underlining the link between terrorism and lack of economic activities, the report pointed out that "the United States provides assistance to support trade and economic growth" in Pakistan, Dawn reported. (ANI)