Security forces kill 9 terrorists in northwest Pakistan

Peshawar: Pakistani security forces killed nine terrorists and arrested two others in two separate operations in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Sunday.

The intelligence-based operations were conducted on Saturday in the Dosalli and Esham areas of the North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the military's media wing said in a statement.

The first operation was conducted in Dosalli, where troops killed six terrorists and apprehended two others.

In the Esham area, three terrorists were killed by security forces after an intense fire exchange and two others were injured, according to the statement.

It added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as target killing of innocent civilians.

"Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other kharji [terrorists] found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country," the statement said.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, Pakistan has been reeling under rising violent attacks, particularly in the bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces, with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks recorded, according to the annual security report issued by the Centre for Security and Strategic Studies think tank.

In 2024, the country suffered 2,546 violence-linked killings and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws.

This tally of casualties stemmed from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for the country’s security landscape, according to the report.