Seven terrorists killed in separate operations in Pakistan

Peshawar/Karachi: Pakistani security forces have killed seven terrorists in two separate intelligence-based operations in the last 48 hours.

On Wednesday, three terrorists were killed in an operation conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Dera Ismail Khan district, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said.

The CTD acted on credible intelligence, killing three militants directly involved in attacks on police and security forces.

Three Kalashnikov rifles, nine magazines, two hand grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the possession of those killed.  Four terrorists were killed separately during an intelligence-based operation in the restive Balochistan province on Monday, the military has said.

The operation was conducted in the Kalat district, said the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Security forces effectively engaged the terrorists' location, killing four of them after an "intense fire exchange".

"Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area," it added.

Pakistani security forces have stepped up intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups in the Balochistan province following a deadly year in which terror attacks rose by 34 per cent in the country.

The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies said in a report released earlier this month that in 2025, terrorist attacks increased by 34 per cent and terrorism-related deaths rose by 21 per cent, mostly in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

In a press conference last week, Director General (DG) ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the army, police, Federal Constabulary, and intelligence agencies conducted a total of 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025.

Breaking it down, he said 14,658 operations were conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other regions of Pakistan.

He added that 5,397 terror incidents took place in the country last year, of which 3,811 were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (71 per cent), 1,557 from Balochistan (29 per cent), and 29 from other areas.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a visit to Quetta on Monday said that the counterterrorism campaign by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.

Insurgent groups in the southwestern Balochistan province have stepped up the severity of their terror attacks in different parts of the province, targeting security forces installations and civilians.

Separately on Wednesday, a key communication bridge over the Kurram River in North Waziristan was blown up by militants using explosives.  According to details, the bridge located in Tehsil Shewa was destroyed after unknown miscreants planted explosive material underneath it at night, triggering a powerful blast that completely demolished the structure.

As a result of the explosion, land connectivity between Miranshah and the surrounding areas has been severed.  Local people have strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly act, expressing grave concern over the disruption caused by the destruction of the bridge.