SWAT: A policeman has been martyred during an ongoing operation against terrorists in the Shalkho Sar area of Swat’s Kabal tehsil, police said on Wednesday.

A statement issued by Swat police spokesperson Nasir Iqbal Karimi said Elite Force Constable Gulfam had embraced martyrdom while “bravely fighting the terrorists” on Tuesday night during the operation.

The statement added that the operation was being jointly conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department, Swat Police and Upper Swat Police, under the supervision of the Malakand regional police officer and district police officers (DPOs) of Swat and Upper Swat.

Police said law enforcers had surrounded and confined the terrorists to the Shalkho Sar area, adding that there were also reports of heavy casualties among them.

The statement further quoted Swat DPO Umar Khan as saying that police remained “firmly committed to maintaining peace and will not allow anyone to sabotage it”. He added that police “will not hesitate to make any sacrifice” in this regard.

For the past several months, there have been reports of the presence of terrorists in Swat’s Kabal and Matta tehsils, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues to battle terrorism.

A monthly security assessment released in early June by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said that after two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.