The key facts

  • The Pakistani army announced 74 militants killed in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • 31 militants were killed in the Kurram area of Quetta district since November 3, and 43 in Mir Ali and Orakzai over the last 48 hours
  • The statement was published two days after the killing of 10 police officers in Kohat district

Results of operations in two provinces

The Pakistani army said on Friday that over the past week and a half it had killed at least 74 'terrorists' in two of the country's provinces, Anadolu reports. According to the military, 31 militants were eliminated in the Kurram area of Quetta district in the southwest of Balochistan province since November 3. Another 43 militants, according to two separate army statements, were killed in the Mir Ali and Orakzai areas in the northwest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the last 48 hours.

Army statement and context

The statement said that the 'relentless counter-terrorism campaign' by Pakistan's security and law enforcement agencies 'will continue with full pace to eradicate the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.' The military also reported that during the clearing of affected areas, large stockpiles of weapons, ammunition and explosives were discovered, including improvised explosive devices.

Police killings two days before the announcement

The army's announcement came two days after suspected militants killed ten police officers on Wednesday in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The publication does not provide casualty figures among security forces during the described operations, nor an independent verification of the army's claimed numbers.