ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed 18 terrorists in separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, state media reported Wednesday, citing security sources.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan TV said security forces killed 13 "Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists" in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan, as operations against militant groups continue under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision.
Separately, in Balochistan's Mastung district, security forces killed five terrorists belonging to "Fitna al-Hindustan," Pakistan TV reported.
Security forces recovered heavy weapons and ammunition from the slain terrorists, and clearance and search operations were underway under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3, the report said.
"Fitna al-Khawarij" is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while the state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as "Fitna-al-Hindustan" to highlight India's alleged role in terrorism and destabilization across Pakistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have witnessed terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August compared with 36 in July, an increase of 50%, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
A day earlier, in another North Waziristan intelligence-based operation, security forces killed five terrorists, state media said.
On Oct. 2, security forces killed seven terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan. On Sept. 30, security forces killed three terrorists in an operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mir Ali. A day before that, in an operation in the province's Bara area, security forces killed five terrorists. On Sept. 28, four terrorists were killed during an operation in Dera Ismail Khan.
On Sept. 26, 12 people were killed and 35 others were injured in a suicide blast that targeted the Aman Mela police checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan's Darazinda tehsil. On Sept. 18, a major attack on the old Police Lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kohat killed 23 people and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation. On Sept. 17, security forces killed 10 terrorists in separate operations in the province between Sept. 15 and 17. Earlier that month, more than 20 terrorists were killed during multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between Sept. 3 and 5.
Meanwhile, in Balochistan's Chagai, security forces killed two terrorists on Sept. 29.
The military's media affairs wing said on Sept. 27 that more than 71 terrorists had been killed in Shaban and other areas of Balochistan in the previous 96 hours. On Sept. 17, three terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan's Awaran district's Badrang area. Another three were killed in Mastung on Sept. 14. Earlier in September, 21 terrorists were killed in separate engagements in Nokcha, Chagai, Ziarat Cross and Pishin.
The number of terrorist attacks in Balochistan increased by 7% from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies' monthly assessment. The report declared Balochistan the province "most affected" by terrorism.
