Security forces killed eight terrorists during two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “On 12-13 January 2025, eight khwarij were sent to hell in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.”

The security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Tank District. “After the troops effectively engaged the terrorists at their location, six khwarij were sent to hell”, the statement said.

Another encounter took place in the general area of Tirah valley, Khyber District, where the forces “successfully neutralised two terrorists.”

Sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists, the ISPR said adding, “[The] security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.”

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.

On Sunday, the ISPR reported that nine terrorists were killed in two separate operations in North Waziristan district.

Pakistan has recently witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan.

Terror attacks have increased since the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.

With at least 685 members of security forces losing their lives amid a total of 444 terror attacks, 2024 turned out to be the deadliest year for the civil and military security forces of Pakistan in a decade, according to a 2024 report issued by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) think-tank.

According to DG ISPR, security forces conducted a total of 59,775 operations last year during which 925 terrorists were killed and 383 officers and soldiers were martyred.