Pakistan army says 74 ‘terrorists’ killed in two provinces

Army reports deaths in Balochistan

Pakistan's army said Friday that at least 74 “terrorists” had been killed in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past week and a half. Of that number, 31 militants were killed in the Kurram area of Quetta district in southwestern Balochistan province since Nov. 3.

The army issued two separate statements on 43 other militants killed in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The deaths were reported in the Mir Ali and Orakzai areas over the past 48 hours.

Counter-terrorism campaign

The army referred to a campaign by Pakistan's security forces and law enforcement agencies. “Relentless counter-terrorism campaign… by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement said.

It added that a huge cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives had been recovered during clearance of the affected areas. Homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices were among the recovered items.

Statement follows Kohat killings

The statement came two days after an incident in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. On Wednesday, suspected militants killed 10 policemen there.

The Kohat killings preceded the army's report on deaths in the two provinces. The report covered the past week and a half.