North Waziristan – In an ongoing operation in the Kharseen and Doga Macha regions of Datta Khel, North Waziristan, Pakistani security forces have killed eight militants as part of an ongoing operation to remove terrorism in the country.
The operation that is currently underway is against an estimated 30-35 militants who are claimed to be members of the HGB Badri Group and the Jaish e Mehdi Karwan.
According to sources, the rest of the militants have been actively hiding themselves behind local homes and civilians as human shields to evade aerial attacks and drones, making it difficult to locate them.
The effective operation led to the eradication of some of the core members of the militant group, which was a big setback to their leadership and operational capacities.
High-Value Targets Neutralized
Three of the eight killed militants have been identified as members of great significance within the milieu of militants.
Hameedullah alias Gud (Langra), a professional in constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), was among the neutralized terrorists. His killing is likely to compromise the capabilities of the militants to carry out bomb attacks, which is a common tactic of these terrorists against security agents and civilian groups.
The other significant figure was Noor Muhammad, an Afghan expert on quadcopter bombs. The third prominent figure was the veteran Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) affiliate Umar, who was active since 2009.
History of Conflict in North Waziristan
The recent operation is in a long-term initiative to reinstitute peace and stability in North Waziristan, which has been used as a haven for different militant formations, including the TTP and the Haqqani Network. There have been some mass military operations in the region over the years, including the Operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, which proved to be mostly effective in suppressing the militants, destroying their infrastructure.
The region has, however, continued to suffer the acts of terrorism sporadically as some of the militants have either escaped or sought shelter in the other side of the border in Afghanistan. The current operation shows that the authorities will relentlessly hunt down these militant remnants to capture the territory once and for all.
