Pakistani security forces have killed 24 terrorists in two separate intelligence-based operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
“On 4-5 February, twenty four khawarij belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is the term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to the ISPR, the intelligence-based operations were conducted in the Orakzai and Khyber districts of the province following information about the presence of armed militants in the areas.
During the operation in Orakzai district, troops engaged the terrorists and killed 14 of them. In a separate operation in Khyber district, security forces killed 10 terrorists during an exchange of fire.
Following the engagements, security forces carried out sanitisation operations in both areas “to eliminate any other sponsored khawarij found in the area,” the military said.
The operations are part of Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years, particularly targeting security personnel and installations.
The military’s media wing added that the counter-terrorism operations, conducted under the vision of 'Azm e Istehkam' (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies, will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
Earlier in January, 11 terrorists were killed in two separate IBOs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorism since the TTP ended its ceasefire deal with the government in November 2022, vowing to increase attacks.
Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year, according to a report released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.