Security forces killed 31 terrorists in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts, the military’s media wing said on Monday.

“On 13-14 September, 31 khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij were killed in two separate engagements in [the] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release.

The state uses the term Fitna al Khwarij to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It has also designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.

The ISPR said an IBO was conducted in Lakki Marwat on the “reported presence of khwarij”.

“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, 14 Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” it added.

The ISPR added that another IBO was carried out in Bannu, where 17 more terrorists were killed in a gun battle.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored khwariji found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian sponsored terrorism from the country,” the ISPR stated.

On Saturday, the ISPR said the military had killed 45 terrorists between September 10 and 13 and 19 soldiers were martyred during these operations in KP.

Following those developments, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to continue responding to terrorism in the country with “full force”.

He said terrorists and their facilitators responsible for attacks in Pakistan were operating from the Afghan soil with the backing of India.

“The Afghan interim government has been clearly told to choose between supporting the khwarij or stand with Pakistan,” he added.

PM Shehbaz warned that “anyone facilitating or advocating” for terrorists or “acting as proxies for India” was essentially their agent and would be “dealt with accordingly”.

Pakistan has lately been witnessing an uptick in terrorist activities, mainly in KP and Balochistan. In November 2022, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, after breaking a ceasefire deal with the government, had vowed to escalate attacks against the security forces, the police, and other law enforcement agencies’ personnel.