The military’s media wing reported that security forces killed two terrorists, one of them a “high-value target (HVT)”, during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district. The operation was conducted based on the reported presence of terrorists. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a press release stating that there was an intense exchange of fire between the troops and the terrorists, resulting in the death of HVT terrorist ringleader Ashraf Sheikh and terrorist Burhan Ullah. The ISPR also mentioned the recovery of weapons, ammunition, and explosives, and the ongoing sanitization operation in the area to eliminate any other terrorists. The locals of the area showed their support for the operation.
In addition to this, security forces had also killed a terrorist in an IBO in KP’s North Waziristan district on Monday, and three militants were killed in an IBO in Titterkhel town of Lakki Marwat district on Saturday. This increase in terrorist activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, is attributed to the end of the ceasefire between the government and the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in November 2022. According to a security report, there were 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023. KP and Balochistan were identified as the primary centers of violence.