Nine terrorists of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group have been killed in a joint operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Dir district, the police said on Tuesday.

A statement issued by Upper Dir District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Bilal said the police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted a targeted operation against the TTP in the district.

“Nine terrorists were killed in the operation that has been going on for three days, and the bodies of five were recovered,” he said, adding that 10 police personnel were injured in firing by terrorists and two locals were also killed.

The statement said the operation was carried out in adjoining areas within the limits of the Dir City Police Station based on credible information indicating the presence of elements of banned terrorist organisations.

“Dir Police is always ready to eliminate terrorism and protect the lives and property of the people, and is determined to make every kind of sacrifice. This operation will continue until the complete elimination of Fitna-al-Khawarij,” the DPO said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the police and the CTD for the operations, adding that he and the entire nation were proud of them.

Five security personnel and three civilians, including a two-year-old child, embraced martyrdom while several policemen sustained injuries as clashes between security forces and militants continued over the weekend and a day ago in various parts of KP. At least seven terrorists were also killed, officials and sources had said.

In Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts, officials and sources had said five suspected militants were killed and seven policemen injured late on Sunday night during fierce clashes between the security forces and the TTP. They said the exchange of fire in the Dobando area of Upper Dir continued for several hours. Two civilians from Hatnar Dara, caught in the crossfire, lost their lives.

A senior CTD official had told Dawn.com that the bodies of all five terrorists were in police custody. They might have links across the border in Afghanistan, he had said.

In Lower Dir’s Lajbook Dara area, heavy firing broke out between police and militants. Though no casualties were reported from this clash, tension gripped the area as the attackers torched police vehicles, including two pick-up trucks and a car, locals had said. Sharing the footage on social media, the outlawed TTP claimed they had “seized the vehicles and destroyed them”.

In July last year, the government designated the 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.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past years, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Recent terrorist attacks have predominantly targeted the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel and security forces. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations.

An earlier version of this story erroneously mentioned Upper Dir as Lower Dir. The error has been rectified and is regretted.