By ISPR
ISLAMABAD: Security forces neutralized five India-sponsored terrorists during two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 7 and 8, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
The troops conducted an IBO in Tank district following reports of terrorist presence, the military’s media wing stated. During the operation, security personnel engaged what it described as a “Khawarij” location, and after an intense exchange of fire, four terrorists belonging to the India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij group were killed.
In a separate operation in Dera Ismail Khan district, one terrorist was killed in a gun battle with security forces. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists, who, according to ISPR, had remained actively involved in multiple terrorist activities in the region. A sanitization operation has since been launched to clear any remaining presence in the area.
The military reaffirmed its commitment to what it described as a “relentless counter-terrorism campaign” under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, stating that efforts by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue to eliminate what it called foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist groups carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year, months after a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 following border clashes triggered by gunfire incidents at multiple crossing points.
