SWAT: A policeman has been martyred and four terrorists have been killed during an ongoing operation in Swat’s Matta tehsil, police and security said on Wednesday.

An initial 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.

Later, security sources said four terrorists had also been killed in the operation, while the operation being carried out by the Pakistan Army, police and other security agencies was ongoing.

The sources said four other terrorists had taken refuge inside a house and were using its residents as human shields.

They added that the terrorists belonged to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term that the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

According to the sources, police had gained control of an important strategic location in Matta’s Rashid Sar area during the operation.

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.