Two terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces in the Esham area of the North Waziristan district, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday.

Following the “intense exchange of fire”, weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, the ISPR added.

It further said the terrorists had remained “actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces”.

The ISPR added: “The incident re-vindicates [the] Pakistan Army’s resolve to have zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan and reaffirms its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to violence.”

The exchange of fire comes after a surge in terrorist activities in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government.

On Monday, a devastating suicide blast took place in the Peshawar Police Line area that resulted in 101 people killed and around 59 injured, according to official numbers until now.

On January 18, security forces gunned down at least four terrorists during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Hoshab.

In the first week of the month, at least 11 terrorists, including a militant commander and two suicide bombers, were killed in an IBO in South Waziristan’s Wana.