RAWALPINDI (MNN); Security forces eliminated 10 terrorists, including a high-value target, during separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district and Balochistan’s Kalat district, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), two khawarij belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed during an IBO conducted on December 24 in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan.
The ISPR said troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ hideout, resulting in the killing of two militants, including their ring leader Dilawar. He was wanted by law enforcement agencies for his involvement in multiple terrorist activities, and a bounty of Rs4 million had been announced for his arrest.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists, who were actively involved in attacks against security forces and civilians, the statement added.
In a separate statement, the ISPR said security forces carried out another IBO in Kalat district on December 24 following intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists linked to Indian proxy group Fitna al Hindustan.
During the operation, troops engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense exchange of fire, eight Indian-sponsored militants were killed. Arms, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from them.
The ISPR said a sanitisation operation was underway to clear the area of any remaining militants, adding that security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their counterterrorism operations at full pace to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
Earlier this month, 12 terrorists were also killed in a similar operation in Kalat. Pakistan was ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with terrorist-related deaths increasing by 45 per cent compared to last year. In October, the Centre for Research and Security Studies reported a sharp rise in violence during the third quarter of 2025 due to increased militant attacks and intensified counterterrorism efforts.
