Three terrorists were killed by security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Loesum area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on Tuesday, during which an intense exchange of fire took place between security forces and terrorists.

“Resultantly, three terrorists were sent to hell,” the statement said, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from their custody.

The ISPR said the slain terrorists were “actively involved in multiple terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent citizens”.

“Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support for security forces, determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area,” the ISPR statement said.

The development comes a day after three terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s Bannu district. According to the ISPR, these militants were also “actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens”.

Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

Since the talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down in November last year, the militant group intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the TTP.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.

Earlier this month, the top civil and military leadership reaffirmed their commitment to thwart terror threats and vowed to re-launch the National Action Plan (NAP) within 15 days to crush militants reportedly coming in from Afghanistan.