“Five Khwarij (terrorists) were sent to hell, while two were apprehended during three separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” the military’s media wing said in a statement on Saturday.

In the first of the three operations, an IBO was conducted by the security forces in Bajaur District on the reported presence of terrorists.

The statement said, “During the conduct of operation, [our] troops effectively engaged the Khwarij … and after an intense fire exchange, three Khwarij, including high-value target (HVT) Kharji Fareed Ullah, were sent to hell.”

Another IBO was conducted in the general area of Dossali, North Waziristan District. “In [the] ensuing fire exchange, two Khwarij were effectively neutralised by the security forces,” the ISPR maintained.

The third encounter took place in Mohmand District where “security forces successfully busted a Kharji hideout and apprehended two terrorists, including HVT Kharji Lal Ameer Ibrahim,” it continued.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from these men, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” it concluded.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.