ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed 22 terrorists in a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to Inter-Ser­vices Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces and law enforcement agencies conducted the operation on April 21 (Tuesday) “on the reported presence of terrorists” in the area.

During an intense exchange of fire, “22 khawarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij” were killed, the ISPR added.

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

“Due to cowardice and fear of getting apprehended alive, khawarij resorted to indiscriminate firing, which resulted in [the] martyrdom of a 10-year-old innocent child,” the ISPR added.

The military’s media wing continued that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorists, who were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, the ISPR statement said.

The country’s “relentless” counter-terrorism cam­paign under the vision ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ “will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”, it said, adding that the sacrifice of innocent civilians further strengthened this resolve.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both lauded the security forces for the successful operation, the state-run APP reported.

Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year, according to a report released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026