Five terrorists were killed and two others were injured in an intelligence-based operation carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

“On 04 December 2024, Security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Lakki Marwat District, on [the] reported presence of khwarij,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press release.

In July, the government, through an official notification, 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.

The ISPR said security forces engaged the terrorists as a result of which five were “sent to hell”, while two other terrorists were injured.

“[A] sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari issued separate statements paying tribute to security forces.

According to a post on X by state-run broadcaster PTV News, the PM said that “the nefarious intentions of the enemies of humanity will continue to be crushed in the same way.”

“The government is actively working for the complete elimination of Kharijites and terrorism from the country,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, President Zardari also praised security forces for their bravery during the operation, according to another post on X by PTV News.

The president expressed “national determination to continue operations until the complete end of terrorism,” the statement read.

Three terrorists were killed in two separate security operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts while a policeman and a local elder were martyred in roadside bomb explosions in Bajaur tribal district on Nov 23.

Twelve personnel were martyred while six terrorists were killed after a checkpost was targeted in the Mali Khel area of KP’s Bannu on Nov 19.

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.

At least 245 people, including 68 security personnel, were killed in a string of terrorist attacks and clashes across Pakistan in November.

The fatalities included 127 terrorists, and 50 civilians, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, on Sunday.

November is the second deadliest month after August, when 254 people lost their lives, including 92 civilians, 108 militants, and 54 security forces personnel.

However, in terms of casualties involving security personnel, it is the deadliest month this year compared to October when 62 soldiers were killed.