ISLAMABAD: Security forces have killed 11 terrorists in the Datta Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district during the last 48 hours, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday.

A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces had “engaged multiple” terrorist locations as part of a series of intelligence-based operations in the area.

“Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, eleven khawarij belonging to India-sponsored Fitna al Khawarij were effectively neutralised,” the statement said.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Operations conducted during past 48 hours, weapons and ammunition recovered

According to the ISPR, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists, who “rem­ained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”.

“Sanitisation operations continue to eliminate holed-up khawarij from these areas,” the statement added.

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for killing the terrorists in the operation.

“Operations against terrorist elements operating under Indian patronage are indispensable for protecting national security,” he said in a statement.

“The war against the monster of terrorism will continue until it is completely eradicated from the country,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also commended the security forces for eliminating the terrorists “The security forces exhibited professionalism while killing the terrorists,” he said in a statement. He added that the government was determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country.

Another statement from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s office said he “praised security forces for the successful operation”.

“The interior minister commended the professional capabilities” of the security forces, it added.

Earlier this week, the ISPR said security forces had killed another 22 India-sponsored terrorists in North Waziristan.

As KP and Balochistan continue to grapple with militancy, with attacks often targeting security personnel and law enforcers, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

Previously this month, security forces killed five terrorists in two separate engagements in KP’s Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts. In early April, eight terrorists were killed along the Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026