Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district on 24 November, targeting the reported presence of militants linked to an Indian proxy network, Fitna al Khawarij, the military said in a statement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), troops “effectively engaged the Khawarij location” and, after an intense exchange of fire, 22 militants were “sent to hell.”

The statement added that a sanitisation operation was underway to clear the area of any remaining “Indian-sponsored Khawarij,” reaffirming that the ongoing counterterrorism drive under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” vision, endorsed by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace.

The ISPR reiterated that security forces and law enforcement agencies remain committed to eliminating “the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday commended the security forces for carrying out a successful intelligence-based operation against Khawarij in Bannu.

The president and prime minister, in their separate statements, paid tribute to the security forces for their timely and effective response and for eliminating 22 terrorists of the Indian-backed Fitna al Khawarij.

They appreciated the determination of the Pakistan Army and law-enforcement agencies, saying that the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam” was achieving great success.

“Eliminating the Indian-backed Khawarij is the state’s top priority. The martyrs and the war veterans (Ghazis) are the pride of the nation,” President Zardari remarked and also saluted the soldiers who displayed courage during the operation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the entire nation stood with Pakistan’s armed forces in this war against terrorism.

“We are determined to purge the country of every form of terrorism,” he resolved.