An army captain and a soldier were martyred on Sunday while five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Peshawar district’s Hassan Khel area, the military’s media wing said.

A statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that security forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of terrorists.

“During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, as result of which five terrorists were sent to hell while three terrorists got injured,” the ISPR said.

It said that during the exchange of fire, 25-year-old Captain Hussain Jahangir, who was “leading his troops from the front”, and 36-year-old Havildar Shafiqullah embraced martyrdom.

“Sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area,” the ISPR said.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.

Earlier this month, an army officer was martyred and three terrorists were killed during an IBO in Balochistan’s Zhob district.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, 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 in March, Pakistan witnessed 432 violence-linked fatalities and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, resulting from as many as 245 incidents of terror att­acks and counter-terror operations during the first quarter of 2024.

KP and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan, accounted for over 92 per cent of all fatalities and 86pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations, during this period. Individually, the former suffered 51pc and the latter 41pc of all fatalities in the first quarter of 2024, the report said.