ISLAMABAD, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani forces killed three Taliban militants in the country's south Waziristan tribal district, the military said late Monday in a statement.
The statement said that the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation on terrorist hideout in South Waziristan on the boundary of southwestern Balochistan province.
South Waziristan, an erstwhile tribal agency, is now part of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after the tribal areas were merged with the province in May 2018.
In the operation, on seeing forces, terrorists opened fire and fled to nearby mountainous area. Security Forces chased fleeing terrorists and after fierce exchange of fire, all three terrorists were killed, the statement said.
The statement from the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said hand grenades, communication equipment, sub-machine guns and local currency were recovered.
Identity and linkages of the terrorists are being ascertained, the statement said.
The Pakistani army is presently conducting intelligence-based operations as part of the major offensive "Radd-ul-Fasaad", or reject discord in English. The major operation was launched in 2017 to "eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country", which mainly targets sleeping cells of the militants, their supporters and financiers.
Pakistani forces have cleared South Waziristan from Taliban militants during a major operation in 2009. South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, is the birthplace of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistani security officials say the TTP leaders have fled to Afghanistan and now operate from the border regions.
