8 civilians, 11 militants killed in 1st 5 days of July in Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistani forces killed at least 11 militants during operations while eight civilians, including a former senator, also lost their lives in terror attacks in July.

According to the Pakistan military, the forces killed 10 militants, including two most wanted commanders, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which borders Afghanistan, during the last four days while one militant commander was killed in the Gilgit Baltistan area on Thursday.

The military intensified intelligence-based operations in KP after recent attacks on forces in the Waziristan, Khyber, and Kurram districts.

On Wednesday, at least five people, including former Senator Hidayatullah Khan, were killed in a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Bajaur area of KP.

On Friday, a police van was hit by an IED in the Jalala area of Mardan district, killing at least three people and injuring 10 others.

The terror attacks have increased in the border areas of KP after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved and announced a "reinvigorated" national counter-terrorism campaign last month to "eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country," known as Azm-e-Istehkam or determination for durability.

However, the announcement triggered opposition and criticism from political parties and locals in KP as most opposed any fresh military operation in the region.

The government plans to call an all-parties conference later this month to deliberate on the military operation.

On Friday, the Pakistan army in a statement, following a Corps Commanders’ Conference presided by army chief Gen. Asim Munir, rejected the "unwarranted criticism" and said “Azm-e-Istehkam” aimed to dismantle the nexus of terrorism and illegal spectrum in the country for enduring stability.

Last month recorded at least 60 deaths, including 33 security personnel and 26 civilians, in 69 terror attacks, according to a latest report released by Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

In the first six months of the ongoing year, Pakistan witnessed 478 militant attacks from January to June with 474 deaths and 539 injuries, according to the PICSS record.