Security forces killed seven terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.

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

According to security sources, a large quantity of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorists.

President Asif Ali Zardari commended the security forces’ operation, which also destroyed the terrorists’ hideouts.

In a statement, the president said “the conspiracies of the terrorists’ foreign patrons and their local facilitators will be thwarted at any cost”.

The entire nation stands with its security forces in the war against terrorism, he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces for their successful operations against Fitna al-Khawarij, according to state broadcaster.

In a statement, he reaffirmed the government’s resolve to completely eradicate terrorism from the country.

KP has long faced security challenges. In August, the province, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks compared with 36 in July, representing an increase of 50 per cent, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

A day earlier, security forces killed nine terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan.

On Wednesday, security forces killed 13 terrorists in another IBO in North Waziristan. On Tuesday, in yet another North Waziristan IBO, security forces killed five terrorists, state media said, while seven were killed on October 2.

On September 30, security forces killed three terrorists in an IBO in Mir Ali. A day before that, in an IBO in the Bara area, security forces killed five terrorists. On Sept 28, four terrorists were killed during an IBO in Dera Ismail Khan.

On Sept 26, 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. On Sept 18, a major attack in the old Police Lines in Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others.

Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation. On Sept 17, security forces killed 10 terrorists in separate operations in KP between Sept 15 and 17. Earlier that month, over 20 terrorists were killed during multiple engagements in KP between Sept 3 and 5.