In a major intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Thursday, two terrorists were killed including one reported to be the mastermind behind the killing of four officials in April, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in a statement

A press release by the CTD issued yesterday said that it had “killed two most-wanted terrorists during a successful intelligence-based operation in Bannu district”.

“The mastermind of the martyrdom of four CTD officials is also among those killed,” it added.

According to the press release, the CTD had received confidential information that terrorists belonging to the banned organisation Fitna-al-Khawarij were planning a “major terrorist operation” on Company Road within the limits of Domail police station.

Fitnah-al Khawarij is the term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Per the statement, the CTD’s Special (SWAT) team surrounded the area immediately along with the district police.

“Upon seeing the operation team, the terrorists tried to escape and started indiscriminate firing on the officials,” it said. “CTD and police retaliated vigorously to protect themselves and arrest the terrorists.”

The exchange of fire between the CTD team and the terrorists reportedly continued for about 25 minutes.

After the firing stopped, a search and clearance operation was conducted in the area and two terrorists were found dead, both of whom were identified as being from Bannu, it added.

“Some of the terrorists’ accomplices took advantage of the darkness to successfully escape.”

One of the terrorists killed was identified as the mastermind behind an attack on the Bannu CTD team on April 30, 2025, in which four personnel were killed and one injured. He had also been involved in attacks on two police posts in the district, in which a constable was martyred, the statement saod.

The other was involved in several attacks and targeted killings on CTD and district police in 2023, including attacking and injuring a constable in November of that year, according to the CTD.

“Two Kalashnikovs, six magazines, 23 rounds, two hand grenades, two mobile phones and two cards of the banned TTP were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists,” the press release said, adding that additional police and CTD personnel had launched a search operation in the area to arrest the escaped terrorists.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

A major of the Pakistan Army was martyred and seven terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by security forces in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district yesterday, according to the media wing of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The incident occurred a day after the ISPR reported that 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, had been killed in an exchange of fire between the forces and TTP terrorists in KP’s Orakzai district.