Three wanted terrorists and “key operatives” of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during a joint operation of the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Barikot tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Friday.

Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — particularly Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks targeting police stations and posts. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations.

“Three wanted terrorists have been killed in Barikot in a major win for Swat CTD. Eliminating the enemies of regional peace, the CTD has killed three important operatives of the Fitna al-Khawarij,” KP Police said in a statement today.

Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned TTP.

Among the terrorists was Ajmal, also known as Waqas, a resident of Malook Abad who was reportedly involved in at least nine terrorism-related cases. He was also involved in the killing of Village Defence Council members and carried a bounty of Rs2 million.

The second individual was identified as Matiullah, also known by the aliases Ishaq and Junaid, son of Ibrat Shah from Dabb Sar Martung in Shangla district, who was wanted in two terrorism cases.

The third slain terrorist was Rahimullah Rehmani, alias Rohullah, son of Amanullah, a resident of Sheray in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province. He, too, was wanted in two separate terrorism cases.

“The terrorists were involved in attacks on security forces and assassinations of police personnel,” said the KP police statement. “A network spreading terrorism with external funding was destroyed, and the terrorists were also wanted in improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and extortion cases.”

“This CTD operation is a blow to the operational wings of Fitna al-Khawarij in Swat and adjacent areas,” Malakand Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sher Akbar Khan was quoted as saying. “We are determined to uproot Fitna al-Khawarij.”

Speaking to reporters, Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Umar Khan said that search and strike operations against militants would continue across the district. He added that security has been intensified at all entry and exit points of Swat to prevent any possible infiltration of miscreants.

“We will not allow the peace and stability of Swat to be disturbed at any cost,” the DPO asserted.

KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed praised the regional police and Swat CTD for striking the “operational command wing” of Fitna al-Khawarij, according to the police statement.

“Operations against terrorists will be further intensified to establish lasting peace and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Attacks have predominantly targeted the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel, and security forces.

In a series of incidents in KP yesterday, a police official was martyred in the Karak district while police thwarted a separate late-night terrorist assault on a police station in Bannu’s Basyakhel area.

Earlier this month, three suspected terrorists belonging to the TTP’s Tipu Gul group were killed in a joint operation by the CTD and the police in Lakki Marwat. This came nearly a week after the leader of a peace committee and two of his companions were shot dead by terrorists in the same district.

Three terrorists were also killed in Lakki Marwat’s Kot Kashmir area during a gun battle with the police and local peace committee, in which a cop was martyred as well.

A total of 670 terror incidents were recorded in 2024, while 212 militants were killed in counter-terrorism operations, according to a report issued by the CTD.