Security forces killed 23 terrorists in separate operations launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), two intelligence-based operations (IBO) were conducted and the terrorists belonged to Fitna al Khawarij.

Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“On [the] reported presence of khawarij, a targeted operation was conducted by the security forces,” the statement read, without elaborating on the exact location.

“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, 12 khawarij were sent to hell,” it added.

The ISPR further said that security forces, “capitalising on intelligence with respect to [the] presence of another group of khawarij”, killed 11 terrorists in another IBO.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area as a relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.

Earlier today, the ISPR said in a statement that security forces eliminated seven terrorists in three operations across KP. The terrorists, belonging to “Fitna-al-Khawarij”, were killed in operations conducted over two days, November 18 and 19.

An IBO was carried out in KP’s Mohmand district on the reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij’s location and after an intense fire exchange, four khawarij were sent to hell.”

Another IBO was conducted in the Lakki Marwat district. In the ensuing fire exchange, “two khawarij were effectively neutralised by the security forces,” the ISPR said.

It added that during the third encounter in the Tank district, security forces killed one more terrorist.

Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terror activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The spike in incidents follow the TTP ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowing to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies.

Last month, Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies said that violence had surged in the country over the past three months due to a spike in militant attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations.