Five hardcore terrorists were gunned down during heavy exchange of firing in an intelligence-based operation conducted by Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel in Karak. According to details, the CTD team conducted the grand operation in Mir Kalam Banda area of tehsil Banda Daud Shah after receiving credible intelligence report about presence of terrorists and their facilitators in the area. The CTD has already issued high security alert for general public keeping in view law and order situation. The CTD advised citizens to remain alert and adopt precautionary measures to avoid any untoward incident. The development came after three police personnel were martyred while six others were injured when militants attacked Bahadur Khel police checkpoint at Karak late last Wednesday night. On Sunday, seven terrorists were killed and a soldier was martyred in different encounters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Maddi area of Dera Ismail Khan district on the reported presence of armed men in the area on the night between Feb 8 and 9, and during the exchange of fire, three terrorists were killed and two others were wounded. The ISPR said that another operation against terrorists was carried out in the Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan. The operation triggered an exchange of fire during which security forces shot dead four militants while three others were injured.