PESHAWAR: Three terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Tank district on Saturday, the military’s media wing said.

A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations said that the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation on reported presence of militants in the area.

It said that the security forces effectively engaged the militants’ location during the operation, adding that three militants were killed in the exchange of fire.

The statement said that the troops recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed militants, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities against the security forces as well as innocent civilians.

The statement also said that a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other militant found in the area as the security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of militancy from the country.

On Friday, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir stated that the fight against militants and their facilitators, acting on the behest of hostile elements, would continue until its logical conclusion, and reiterated that national unity was imperative in the fight against militancy.

The COAS, during a visit to Bannu after the forces thwarted a terrorist attack on the cantonment on Tuesday, said that militant groups continued to operate from Afghan soil against Pakistan. He assured that the armed forces would spare no effort in ensuring the safety and security of the people of Pakistan.

He said that the foreign weapons and equipment used in recent militant attacks was clear evidence that Afghanistan remained a safe haven for such elements, and reaffirmed that no entity would be allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace and stability.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2025