Taliban, proxies hit in the air and on the ground

Pakistan's air defence system shot down eight drones after they entered the country's airspace from Afghanistan on Wednesday, while security forces killed 19 Indian-sponsored terrorists in separate operations in Balochistan, intensifying security activity along the western frontier. Security sources said four of the drones were brought down in areas adjoining the Torkham border, while another four were shot down in mountainous areas near the border with Kohat. The wreckage of the destroyed drones was being taken into custody, they added. The sources said the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had thwarted an attempt by the Afghan Taliban regime to target public places, with the country's "active and alert air defence system" detecting and bringing down all eight drones. They described the drone incursion as "further evidence" of the Afghan Taliban regime's direct support and patronage of terrorists, while reiterating that the Pakistan Armed Forces remained prepared to defend the country and its people. "The Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully prepared at all times to defend Pakistan and its people," the sources said, adding that the PAF's surveillance, assessment and defence systems along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remained operational and on alert. According to the sources, the downing of the drones demonstrated the PAF's determination and capability to thwart any ground, aerial or terrorist incursion by the Afghan Taliban regime. They said the developments reflected "severe panic" within the Afghan Taliban regime. The sources said the PAF's surveillance and defence systems along the border remained fully operational to detect and respond to any further incursions amid heightened tensions and exchanges of fire along the frontier. The drone incursions followed an attempted infiltration by terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Khawarij into the Kurram sector from Afghanistan, which security forces had earlier foiled. The term Fitna al-Khawarij is used for the terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The developments came after Pakistani forces destroyed terrorist hideouts operating under the Afghan Taliban regime. According to the sources, the infiltration attempt was made from Afghan Taliban posts in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces but was effectively thwarted by Pakistani troops deployed along the border. Following the failure of the infiltration attempt, the Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked fire on Pakistani border posts using heavy weapons, mortars and other arms. Pakistani security forces responded by targeting several Afghan Taliban border posts, the sources said. Separately, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces had killed 13 Indian-sponsored terrorists during a clearance operation in the Shaban area of Quetta district in Balochistan. The operation began on September 21 after intelligence agencies reported multiple hideouts of Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan in the area, which were assessed as posing a threat to the local population. ISPR said security forces effectively engaged and cleared multiple terrorist hideouts during the operation. Following an intense exchange of fire, 13 terrorists had been killed so far, while weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the cleared hideouts. The military's media wing said the clearance operation would continue until the complete neutralisation of the threat in the area, indicating that security forces were maintaining their presence in the affected area. In separate engagements on September 22 and 23, security forces also conducted pre-emptive intelligence-based operations in Kech district and Quetta West district. During the operations, troops effectively engaged the terrorists, killing six and recovering weapons and ammunition. ISPR said a soldier, Subedar Muhammad Jamil, 39, a resident of Taunsa Sharif in Dera Ghazi Khan, was martyred during the intense exchange of fire. The military said security forces and law-enforcement agencies remained committed to eliminating the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country. The latest operations form part of the security forces' continuing counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of "Azm-e-Istehkam", approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, according to ISPR.