Security forces killed four terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday.

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

“During the conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists, as a result of which four terrorists were sent to hell,” it said.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the slain terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area, the ISPR said.

It added that a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found 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.

A day earlier, two terrorists were killed in separate operations in KP’s Khyber and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

On Wednesday, two soldiers were martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Lakki Marwat. Two militants were also killed in the engagement.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to a security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies last month, Pakistan experienced 97 militant attacks in February, resulting in 87 fatalities and 118 injuries.

The report highlighted a significant escalation in violence in Balochistan, juxtaposed with a decline in tribal districts and mainland KP.