Security forces killed 10 terrorists and injured eight others during three different engagements in North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.

According to a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence based operation was conducted by the security forces in the Spinwam area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan District.

“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij’s location and after intense fire exchange, two Khwarij were sent to hell.

In the second incident, the ISPR said that a group of khawarij were attempting to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border when they were intercepted by security forces in the same area of North Waziristan.

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate,” the statement said. “Two khawarij were ‘sent to hell’, while two others were injured.”

A sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other Khawarij found in the area, it added.

Security forces earlier killed six terrorists and injured six others during another intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan’s Spinwam area, the ISPR said in a separate statement released on Sunday morning.

Per the statement, security forces conducted the IBO upon the “reported presence” of terrorists.

“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed Khwarij who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians,” the ISPR said.

In July, the government, through an official notification, had designated the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Fitna al Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

President, PM commend security forces

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for conducting the IBO in North Waziristan, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.

Zardari commended the bravery of the security forces and appreciated their professionalism, according to Radio Pakistan. He also reiterated the national resolve to completely eliminate terrorism.

PM Shehbaz also praised the security forces for their successful operation.

“We will continue to fight against the spectre of terrorism till its complete eradication from the country,” Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying.

Rise in terror-related incidents

The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.

On November 2, four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s South Waziristan region.

In another incident on Nov 4, security forces killed seven terrorists in separate operations on Monday, with one terrorist killed in Balochistan and the other six killed during two operations in KP.

On Nov 7, security forces killed five terrorists during an exchange of fire in South Waziristan, while four soldiers were martyred in the operation.