CTD kills 5 terrorists in Punjab, 3 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Saturday it had killed five terrorists and successfully thwarted a terror plot in Taunsa Sharif in a “major counter-terrorism breakthrough”.
There has been a recent uptick in terror attacks in Pakistan over the past year. The CTD regularly carries out operations to prevent and investigate terrorism-related activities and gather intelligence.
A press release issued on Saturday by the CTD said that an intelligence-based operation took place near the Tri-Border Village.
According to a CTD spokesperson, the operation was launched following “credible intelligence reports” about the presence of alleged armed terrorists in the area. Although the operation aimed to apprehend them, they opened fire on the CTD team, leading to a retaliatory crossfire.
The press release detailed that the exchange of heavy fire continued for several hours, during which five terrorists were eliminated, while five others sustained injuries and escaped into the nearby forest.
“The CTD teams acted swiftly and professionally, preventing what could have been a catastrophic attack,” the statement added.
During the combing operation, the team recovered a cache of lethal weapons including rifles, three improvised explosive devices, a large quantity of ammunition, hand grenades and explosive material.
The statement highlighted that these recoveries underscored the severity of the threat and the scale of the planned attack.
It added that a search operation was currently underway to trace and apprehend the wounded terrorists who fled the scene. The press release said CTD teams established checkpoints near Romani, Taunsa, to secure the region and prevent further escape and the identification process of the deceased terrorists was ongoing.
According to a CTD spokesperson, the team recovered a large quantity of ammunition, hand grenades and sensitive material from the terrorists, which they planned to use for a major sabotage operation.
“The CTD registered a case on terrorism charges, murder and possession of explosives,” the statement said.
It further said that raids were being conducted to track down the escaped terrorists, adding that further investigation was underway.
Meanwhile, in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) successfully eliminated three suspected terrorists of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Tipu Group.
The operation took place in a remote village, where a prolonged exchange of fire occurred between the security forces and the militants. As a result, three terrorists were killed.
One of the terrorists was identified as Wasim Ullah, also known as Umar Khattab. The other two were identified as Qudrat Ullah alias Abu Bakr and Hijrat Ullah alias Hijrat, according to CTD officials.
The terrorists were involved in multiple attacks on law enforcement personnel, including the targeted killings of CTD officer Waheed Ullah, traffic constables Anwar Sher and Idrees.
They were also wanted for their involvement in IED blasts, attacks on police, and other serious crimes.
A large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the terrorists.
Earlier, security forces successfully thwarted an infiltration attempt by Indian-sponsored militant group Fitna Al-Khawarij near the Pak-Afghan border
The security forces also recovered of a large cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials. The military’s swift response has once again demonstrated its readiness and resolve to counter cross-border terrorism.
The statement reiterated Pakistan’s firm commitment to eliminating Indian-sponsored terrorism and highlighted that security forces remain fully prepared to confront any threats along the border.
ISPR also called upon the interim Afghan government to prevent the use of Afghan soil for launching terrorist attacks against Pakistan, particularly by foreign-sponsored proxies.
The statement urged that regional peace is only possible when such elements are denied safe haven.
