Five terrorists killed in KP operations: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s security forces neutralised five India-sponsored terrorists during two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 7 and 8, the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, security personnel conducted an intelligence-based operation in Tank District following reports regarding the presence of terrorists in the area.

During the operation, troops effectively engaged the hideout of militants and, after an intense exchange of fire, four terrorists belonging to the India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij were killed, the statement added.

In a separate operation conducted in Dera Ismail Khan District, one terrorist was killed during a gun battle with security forces.

The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who were actively involved in numerous militant activities in the region.

Following the operations, forces launched a sanitisation operation to eliminate any other militants present in the area.

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The military reaffirmed that Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their “relentless counterterrorism campaign” under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, to eliminate the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

However, Pakistan has maintained that the Afghan Taliban regime has failed to take effective action against terrorist groups involved in attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year, months after both countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following clashes triggered by unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces at multiple border points.

Despite several rounds of negotiations, the two sides have yet to reach a breakthrough due to Kabul’s reluctance to act against terrorist outfits operating from its territory.