A soldier was martyred while eight terrorists were killed in multiple engagements across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Monday.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the forces in general area of Mir Ali in North Waziristan District.

“During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, and resultantly, three khwarij were sent to hell,” it said, referring to the term the state uses for terrorists.

“In another IBO, conducted in South Waziristan District, two khwarij were successfully neutralized by the security forces. However, during an intense fire exchange, one brave son of the soil, Naik Mujahid Khan (age: 40 years, resident of District Kohat) having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat,” the statement said.

It added that two more engagements took place between the troops and the terrorists in the Khyber and Bannu districts, resulting in the killing of three terrorists.

Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area against the security forces as well as target killing of innocent civilians, the ISPR said.

Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, ISPR said.

The press release added that the security forces of Pakistan were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthened our resolve.

Late last month, security forces killed 54 terrorists attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said.

Militant violence and security operations intensified in the country in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.