Taunsa sharif: Pakistani security forces successfully thwarted a terror plot during an intelligence-based operation in Taunsa Sharif area in eastern Punjab province and killed five terrorists.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said in a press release on Saturday that five terrorists were killed during what it called "a major counter-terrorism breakthrough." The operation was launched following "credible intelligence reports" about the presence of alleged armed terrorists in the area. It was aimed to apprehend them, but they opened fire on the CTD team, leading to a retaliatory crossfire, according to the statement.
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 confirmed.
"The CTD teams acted swiftly and professionally, preventing what could have been a catastrophic attack," it added. The security forces recovered a cache of lethal weapons including rifles, three improvised explosive devices, a large quantity of ammunition, hand grenades and explosive material. Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi praised the CTD for its operation.
Earlier on Friday, security forces of Pakistan killed 30 militants who were trying to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The operation against the militants comes at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a rise in terror attacks especially in KPK and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan.