Security forces killed four terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Monday, state-run APP reported citing sources.

The report said the slain terrorists belonged to Fitna-al-Khawarij, a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The sources said that the operation was conducted based on close intelligence-based surveillance of terrorist movements by the security forces, according to APP.

A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the terrorists, as well as Afghan currency, they added.

KP has been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time.

The province, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August compared with 36 in July, representing an increase of 50pc, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

More recently, on Saturday, a dozen people lost their lives while 35 others were injured in a suicide blast that targeted the Aman Mela police checkpost in DI Khan’s Darazinda tehsil.

Earlier this month, police said they foiled an attack by TTP terrorists on a checkpost in DI Khan’s Daraban area. No casualties were reported among the police personnel.

On Sept 18, a major attack in the old Police Lines in KP’s Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation.