News Report: Pakistan Unleashes New Anti-IS Military Operation Near Afghan Border

Ayaz Gul

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s military launched a major ground offensive Sunday to clear an isolated militant-infested border valley that Islamic State loyalists are using to export terrorism into the country from its bases in neighboring Afghanistan, where the group is "gaining strength", said an army spokesman.

Major-General Asif Ghafoor told reporters that the operation dubbed Khyber-4 has been tasked with eliminating militant hideouts from an area of about 250-square kilometers in the Rajgal valley. He said militants linked to pro-IS groups, Jamaatul Ahrar and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, as well as the Pakistani Taliban are entrenched there.

“Presence of Daesh is increasing [in areas opposite to Rajgal across the border in Afghanistan], necessitating this operation to eliminate influence of Daesh being exported to Pakistan through Rajgal valley,” asserted Ghafoor, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

News Story: Pakistani forces foil terrorists' attack in Khyber tribal area - army

ISLAMABAD, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan military said on Friday that the security forces had foiled an early morning terrorists' attack from the Afghan side of the border.

Two suicide bombers, who were among a group of the attackers, were killed by the security forces in Khyber tribal region, which borders Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, an army statement said from the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army's media wing.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said it was involved in the attack on a military camp.

"Security forces foiled terrorists attack on border post in Khyber Agency," the statement said.

"Terrorists including 2 suicide bombers from across the border attempted fire raid and target Misthara post, 2 km northwest of Jarobi on Pak-Afghan Border," the statement said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: 4 Policemen Killed in Terrorist Attack in Southwest Pakistan

Ayaz Gul

ISLAMABAD — Four policemen were shot and killed Thursday in southwest Pakistan by a group of Islamic militants.

A spokesman for the Baluchistan provincial government says the policemen were on a routine patrol in the capital city, Quetta,when the gunmen intercepted their vehicle and sprayed it with bullets before fleeing the scene. The dead officers included police Superintendent Mubarak Shah.

A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban calling itself Jamaatul Ahrar has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The United Nations earlier this week designated Jamaatul Ahrar a global terrorist organization, saying the group operates out of neighboring Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province.

The attack was the second this week in Baluchistan targeting senior police officials.

A suicide bomber riding a motorbike on Monday blew himself up near a police vehicle in the town of Chaman, near the Afghan border, killing the district police chief and two others. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.