11 Apr 2020 | 12:46 AM UTC
Pakistan: Security forces launch operations in Zakir Khel, North Waziristan (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province) April 10
Security forces launched operations targeting militants in North Waziristan’s Zakir Khel area (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province) on April 10; further security operations likely in the near term
Event
On Friday, April 10, at least seven militants were killed in security operations launched in North Waziristan's Zakir Khel area (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province). Two soldiers were also killed in an exchange of fire with the militants. The incident comes following operations targeting hideouts in North Waziristan and Mohmand, where seven militants were killed and a number of weapons were seized.
Similar incidents are to be expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the near term.
Context
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qai'da, Islamic State (IS) affiliates, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Afghan Taliban, and other Islamist militant groups continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite continued army offensives to push them from their northwestern strongholds near the Afghan border.
Advice
Individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and in Pakistan more generally, are advised to remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities. Due to a high threat from terrorism, as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence, some Western governments advise their citizens to reconsider travel to the country as foreign nationals, and Westerners, in particular, may be directly targeted.
