Five terrorists were killed and two were apprehended in three separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted by the security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Saturday.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

“Five Khwarij were sent to hell, while two were apprehended during three separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” the ISPR said.

Khwarij is a term the state uses to refer to terrorists.

In the first of the three operations, an IBO was conducted by the security forces in Bajaur District on the reported presence of terrorists.

“During the conduct of operation, [our] troops effectively engaged the Khwarij … and after an intense fire exchange, three Khwarij, including high-value target (HVT) Kharji Fareed Ullah, were sent to hell,” the statement added.

Another IBO was conducted in the general area of Dossali, North Waziristan District. “In [the] ensuing fire exchange, two Khwarij were effectively neutralised by the security forces,” the ISPR said.

In the third encounter that took place in Mohmand District, “security forces successfully busted a Kharji hideout and apprehended two terrorists, including HVT Kharji Lal Ameer Ibrahim,” the statement continued.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from these men, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.

Late last month, security forces killed 54 terrorists attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said.

Militant violence and security operations intensified in the country in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.