An army officer was martyred, while 13 terrorists were killed during three separate security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Thursday.

After the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022, the country witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces and other law enforcement agencies, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

According to the interior ministry, in the past 10 months, 948 out of 1,566 terrorism incidents reported occurred in KP, resulting in 583 deaths (out of a total of 924 martyrdom).

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today said that three security operations were carried out in the wee hours of Thursday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“On [the] reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence-based operation was conducted by the security forces in general area Jani Khel, Bannu District,” the statement read, adding that two terrorists were killed during the operation.

In the second operation, which took place in Noth Waziristan, “five khwarij were effectively neutralised by security forces.”

The ISPR added that eight terrorists were also injured in the operation.

However, during the gun battle, 31-year-old Major Muhammad Awais “who was leading his troops from the front, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” the statement read.

Meanwhile, in the third operation in South Waziristan, six terrorists were killed after being engaged by security forces. Eight others were injured in the encounter, the ISPR said.

“Sanitisation operations are being carried out to eliminate any other kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the statement said.

In July, the government designated the TTP as Fitna al Khawarij, mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

On Wednesday, 13 terrorists were also killed in a security operation in KP’s South Waziristan district, the ISPR said.

Earlier this month, the interior ministry revealed that 341 terrorists were killed in 2,801 IBOs across 10 months from January 2024.

It added that 800 individuals were placed on the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act as part of “vigilant monitoring of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities” with 400 from Punjab, 203 from KP, 173 from Balochistan, 21 from Sindh and three from Gilgit-Baltistan.