Three terrorists attempting to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were killed in Batwar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) the movement of the three militants was picked up by security forces.

“After fire exchange, all three terrorists were sent to hell. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists,” it said.

The ISPR went on to say that last night militants from inside Afghanistan opened fire on a Pakistani border post in Spinwam area of KP’s North Waziristan district.

“Own troops responded in a befitting manner causing considerable losses to the terrorists,” the ISPR said. However, 31-year-old Naik Abdul Rauf embraced martyrdom, it added.

“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border. Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said.

5 terrorists killed in Awaran IBO

Earlier in the day, the ISPR said five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the general Mashkai area of Balochistan’s Awaran district.

It said security forces conducted the IBO on the night of Dec 30 and Dec 31 over the reported presence of terrorists.

“During the conduct of the operation, after intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, five terrorists were sent to hell,” it said.

The terrorists’ hideout was also busted and a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered, the ISPR said, adding that a sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate other terrorists in the area.

“The security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement concluded.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government last year.

A day earlier, the ISPR said five terrorists were neutralised during an operation in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.

Earlier this month, as many as 25 soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in two separate incidents on a single day, including a terrorist attack in Dera Ismail Khan, claiming lives of 23 soldiers and a military operation in the Kolachi and Dara­zi­nda areas of the KP that saw two army personnel losing their lives.

That was the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, as many as 12 soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the country witnessed the highest number of suicide attacks since 2014 during this year, with nearly half of them targeting the security forces.

As many as 48 per cent of deaths and 58pc of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel. “A staggering 29 suicide attacks were reported, resulting in the tragic loss of 329 lives and leaving 582 individuals injured.

Comparing the data to the preceding year, 2022, report revealed a distressing 93pc increase in the number of suicide attacks, a shocking 226pc rise in resultant deaths, and a troubling 101pc surge in the number of injured individuals.