A soldier was martyred, while seven terrorists were killed in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan District, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the security forces in the Miran Shah area of the North Waziristan District upon the reported presence of terrorists.

“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij’s location, as a result of which four khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said.

It added that another encounter between the security forces and terrorists took place in the Spinwam area of the district, as a result of which three more terrorists were neutralised.

“However, during the intense fire exchange, one brave son of the soil, Lance Naik Muhammad Amin (aged 34 years, resident of District Faisalabad), having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat,” the statement said.

The ISPR further added that a sanitisation operation was being conducted in the said areas to “eliminate any other kharji”.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the statement said.

In July, the government, through an official notification, designated the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Fitna al Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.

On December 9, the ISPR said that two terrorists were killed and one was arrested in an operation carried out by security forces in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan area. It added that a “large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists.”

Last week, six soldiers were martyred and 22 terrorists were eliminated during three different engagements in the province.

At least 245 people, including 68 security personnel, were killed in a string of terrorist attacks and clashes across Pakistan in November.

The fatalities included 127 terrorists, and 50 civilians, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank.

November is the second deadliest month after August, when 254 people lost their lives, including 92 civilians, 108 militants, and 54 security forces personnel.

However, in terms of casualties involving security personnel, it is the deadliest month this year compared to October when 62 soldiers were killed.