Pakistani Security Forces Kill 22 Terrorists in Separate Military Operations

 A police officer with a 12.7mm infantry machine gun takes position at Sarband Police Station’s rooftop, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. — Reuters
 A police officer with a 12.7mm infantry machine gun takes position at Sarband Police Station’s rooftop, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. — Reuters
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Pakistani Security Forces Kill 22 Terrorists in Separate Military Operations

 A police officer with a 12.7mm infantry machine gun takes position at Sarband Police Station’s rooftop, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. — Reuters
 A police officer with a 12.7mm infantry machine gun takes position at Sarband Police Station’s rooftop, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. — Reuters

The Pakistani Army killed 22 terrorists and injured others in three separate military operations in the Waziristan, Tank and Thal districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, north west of Pakistan.
The attack took place in the Kurram district of northwestern Pakistan, where sectarian violence has killed at least 130 people and wounded 200 others in the last few weeks.
The sectarian violence began on Nov. 21 when unidentified gunmen attacked passenger vans, killing several people, including women. The attack triggered weeks of clashes between Shiite and Sunni tribes. Peace has been later restored following a ceasefire between the two sides.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan Army's media wing, said in a statement on Saturday that the three operations were conducted based on intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists. It said six soldiers were killed during the operations.
“The Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe-out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR statement said
President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to security forces for killing the 22 terrorists and lauded the personnel's bravery during the operations. He also expressed his condolences for the death of the six soldiers.
The army said security forces thwarted a terrorist attack on their post in the Thal District. They affirmed killing three terrorists.
Attacks by extremists regularly target the army and police in Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, especially on its border with Afghanistan.
In November, at least 20 soldiers were killed in separate incidents over less than 24 hours in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan's border areas have seen a resurgence of violence since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban reclaimed power in Kabul.
The Pakistan Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said its fighters had killed the soldiers by storming a security checkpoint. It did not say how many militants had died in the clashes.
The TTP has accelerated its attacks in recent months, mostly targeting members of the security forces.

 



Iran Says 5 Inmates at Evin Prison Were Killed in Israel's Airstrike on Tehran

Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
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Iran Says 5 Inmates at Evin Prison Were Killed in Israel's Airstrike on Tehran

Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike on Iran's capital last month killed five inmates at Evin prison and resulted in the escape of several others, Iranian media reported Saturday.

The semi-official ILNA news agency and other Iranian media quoted a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary that the five inmates killed in the June 23 strike had been convicted on financial offences. The spokesman didn't name the victims or give any further details.

The judiciary’s own news website, Mizanonline quoted spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying only that “small number" of inmates were killed. He added that an “insignificant number of inmates” had also escaped and that authorities would soon bring them back into custody, AFP reported.

Jahangir said no one serving time at Evin prison for working with Israel's spy agency Mossad was injured in the attack.

Iranian authorities last month put the death toll from the airstrike at 71. But Iranian media later raised that number to 80 including staff, soldiers, inmates and visiting family members.

It's unclear why Israel targeted the prison. The Israeli Defense Ministry had said on the day of the airstrikes that 50 aircraft dropped 100 munitions on military targets “based on high-quality and accurate intelligence from the Intelligence Branch.”

The New York-based Center for Human Rights had criticized Israel for striking the prison - seen as a symbol of repression of any opposition - saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets.

The 12-day air war left more than 1,060 dead in Iran and 28 dead in Israel.