Military Says 'Terrorist Commander' Killed In Northwestern Pakistan

The Pakistani military says it has killed a “terrorist” commander and three other militants in the country’s northwest.

“In a major breakthrough, terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah, alias Ihsan Sanray, along with 3 other terrorists were killed during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) today in Ghariom, Shaktu near the inter district boundary of North and South Waziristan,” army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar tweeted on September 13.

The spokesman said Ihsan Sanray had “masterminded numerous terrorist activities,” including recent attacks in the Shaktu area that claimed the lives of a lieutenant and a captain.

He did not provide further details.

The Pakistani military has claimed it had cleared North Waziristan of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan -– also known as the Pakistani Taliban -– and other militant groups following a major offensive that was launched in 2014, but the region has been the scene of an increasing number of attacks on security forces and targeted killings of civilians.

On September 12, at least one Pakistani soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast in North Waziristan. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The next day, a local assembly of elders called on the Pakistani government to ensure peace in the tribal districts, put an end to targeted killings, and repatriate thousands of people who have fled to neighboring Afghanistan after the launch of the military offensive in 2014.