Daily Times

Eleven terrorists were killed by security forces in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan districts, the military’s media wing said on Monday.

A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the operations took place last night. It said that an intelligence-based operation was conducted in Dera Ismail Khan district on the reported presence of terrorists.

“During conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange, ten terrorists were successfully neutralised and sent to hell,” it said.

“In another encounter in North Waziristan district, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location as a result of which one more terrorist was sent to hell,” the ISPR said.

It added that the militants were “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities” in the area against security forces as well as civilians. The ISPR further said that arms and ammunition were also recovered from their possession.

“Locals of the area appreciated the operations by the security forces, who remain determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said. Last week, seven terrorists were killed while trying to infiltrate the Afghan-Pakistan border in North Waziristan district. Earlier this month, two militants were gunned down by security forces in an exchange of fire in North Waziristan district.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 – marking a record six-year high.

KP and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.