Seventeen Khawarij killed in Katlang operation: Tarar

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said seventeen Khawarij were killed in the Katlang operation and no civilians were harmed.

In a post on X, he clarified that it was not a drone attack, but rather an action undertaken by security forces.

The Minister further explained that there were no civilian houses near the operation site, as the nearest settlements were six to nine kilometers away. He mentioned that some individuals in the local Jirga had assured facilitation to the Khawarij, with videos of such assurances available as evidence.

Attaullah Tarar added that the Khawarij had announced an attack in Mardan on Eid, which ultimately failed due to this operation.

He criticized the PTI-led provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for not condemning those responsible for thousands of attacks in the province. Instead, he accused them of adopting a narrative against the Pakistan Army and reaching out to the Khawarij to appease them after they spread false news of a drone attack.

He emphasized that those who spread fake news are facilitators of the Khawarij.