The military’s media affairs wing said on Friday that 10 terrorists were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a day earlier.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the terrorists belonged to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khwarij — a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

It said that in the first encounter, a group of terrorists attempted to attack security forces’ checkposts in Azam Warsak area in South Waziristan.

“The attempt was effectively thwarted by own troops. During ensuing fire exchange, eight khwarij were sent to hell through effective and precise engagements by own troops,” it said.

“In another encounter that took place in Dir district, own troops successfully neutralised two more khwarij,” it added.

ISPR said that weapons and ammunition were also seized from killed terrorists, who remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”.

It said sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, adding that the counterterrorism campaign would continue at full pace to wipe out “the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the country’s security forces for eliminating the terrorists and commended their professionalism in thwarting the attack in Azam Warsak.

“The nation stands with its brave security forces and law enforcement agencies and views their sacrifices against terrorism with utmost appreciation,” he said.

“The nefarious designs of terrorist elements active under Indian sponsorship will be thwarted at any cost,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also praised security forces for the successful operations.

“The nefarious designs of elements spreading terrorism under Indian patronage will be thwarted at any cost. The government and the entire nation stand with the security forces in the war against terrorism,” he asserted.

According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, violence linked to terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations intensified sharply in July, making it the deadliest month of 2026, with 112 security personnel among 205 people killed.