Two terrorists were killed by security forces during an intelligence-based operation in the general area of North Waziristan’s Dossali, the military’s media affairs wing said on Wednesday.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists in the area.

“During the operation, an intense fire exchange occurred between security forces and terrorists, resulting in the killing of two terrorists,” it said.

The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorists who were “actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and the killing of innocent citizens”.

It added that sanitisation of the area was under way to eliminate other terrorists in the area.

“Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the ISPR statement concluded.

Attack on polio team

Meanwhile, a soldier deployed to provide security to polio teams was martyred in an attack by terrorists in North Waziristan’s Spinwam area, another ISPR statement said.

“On May 31, 2023, terrorists attempted to disrupt the ongoing polio campaign by firing on the members of a polio team,” the statement said, adding that security personnel deputed for the team’s security “effectively engaged terrorists’ location, ensuring the safety of all members of the team and extricated them unharmed”.

However, the ISPR added, during the ensuing exchange of fire between the security personnel and militants, 25-year-old Sepoy Saqibur Rehman, a resident of Mardan district, “sacrificed his life in the line of duty, embracing martyrdom”.

Sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, the statement said.

It further stated that the “security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve”.

Uptick in terror activities

Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November.

In his maiden press briefing last month, ISPR Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that at least 293 people were martyred and 521 were injured in 436 terrorist incidents over the past year.

In KP, 192 people were martyred in 219 terror activities, while 80 people lost lives in 206 incidents in Balochistan, 14 people in five attacks in Punjab, and seven in six terrorism incidents across Sindh.

He had said that the army and law enforcement agencies carried out 8,269 intelligence-based operations during the previous year in which 1,378 suspected terrorists were apprehended and 157 were killed.

The DG ISPR had also said that overall 137 security personnel were martyred and 117 injured in anti-terror operations in the ongoing year.