Three terrorists were killed and two escaped during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Nankana Sahib, CTD spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The terrorists had opened fire on the CTD team, the spokesman said, adding: “In the exchange of fire, three terrorists were killed by the firing of their [own] comrades, while two [others] escaped.”

The CTD said it recovered three grenades, three detonators, safety fuse wire, two rifles, bullets and explosives from the terrorists.

“A search operation to arrest the escaped terrorists is underway,” said the spokesperson, adding that CTD teams had set up a picket near Motorway Nankana Interchange A and the process of identifying the slain terrorists was underway.

The spokesperson said that the terrorists were planning to launch a major attack on Lahore.

Pakistan has experienced an increase in terrorist attacks as a total of 59 such incidents occurred countrywide in August compared to 38 attacks in the previous month, according to a digital database maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank.

Last week, CTD Punjab arrested nine terrorists following 71 IBOs across the province.

Meanwhile, two terrorists were killed on Friday during an operation carried out in Dera Ghazi Khan.