Twenty-two terrorists have been neutralised by the security forces during three separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Saturday.
The military's media said the three separate engagements took place in KP's Tank, North Waziristan, and Thall districts from December 6 to 7.
In Tank district, it said troops effectively engaged the terrorists' location during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Gul Imam area on the reported presence of terrorists.
Resultantly, 9 terrorists were killed while six got injured, the military’s media wing said.
In another operation, security forces successfully neutralised 10 terrorists in North Waziristan.
In a third encounter, as per the ISPR, the security forces thwarted terrorists' attempt to attack a check post in Thall district and killed three more terrorists.
However, six soldiers, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat during the intense exchange of fire, said the ISPR.
It added that sanitisation operations were launched to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.
"Security forces are determined to wipe-out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," it concluded.
It is pertinent to mention here that the third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90% surge in violence, according to a report issued by Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review.
Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan – marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security forces’ operations were recorded in the same provinces.
The total fatalities from three quarters of this year have now surpassed the total fatalities recorded for the entire 2023; the number of fatalities rose to at least 1534 in the first three quarters compared to 1523 in 2023.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups continue to reorganise and beef up their ranks. Most of the terror attacks remained unclaimed by terrorist or insurgent groups, likely for tactical reasons, as per the report.
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