RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army on Thursday thwarted a terrorist attack on checkpost and killed 10 militants follow-ing a suicide attack in the Jandola area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, said the In-ter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military’s media wing said that the attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by the troops, forcing the terrorists to “ram an explosive laden vehicle into the perimeter wall”.
“Own troops fought bravely, effectively engaged the assailant and after an intense fire exchange all ten khwarij including a suicide bomber were sent to hell, outside the perimeter wall of the post,” said the ISPR.
“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” added the military’s media wing.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to the security forces for repulsing the attack and killing the terrorists. He said that the nation was standing by the security forces to eliminate the terrorism from the country.
The latest attack came only a day after security forces killed all 33 attackers who had hijacked the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan’s Bolan and held passengers hostages in the mountainous region.
The militants blew up the rail tracks and opened fire on the Jaffar Express as it made its way to Pesha-war from Quetta, the capital of mineral-rich Balochistan, taking hostage several of the 440 passengers aboard.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility for the attack, in which 21 hostages were killed and four security troops martyred.
The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Stud-ies (PICSS), a think tank.
The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s set-tled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.
The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 securi-ty personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.
Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.
The month also saw two suicide bombings, both in Balochistan. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Paki-stan claimed responsibility for one, while the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army took credit for the other. –Agencies
