Security forces killed 24 terrorists in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released on Friday.

“On 4-5 February 2026, twenty four khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” said the statement from the military’s media wing.

Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Two intelligence-based operations were conducted in the province’s Orakzai and Khyber districts.

During the operation conducted in Orakzai district, troops engaged the terrorists and killed 14. While in Khyber, during the conduct of another IBO, security forces killed 10 terrorists.

“On reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence-based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Orakzai District. During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange, fourteen khwarij were sent to hell,” said the ISPR, adding that “ten more khwarij were effectively neutralised” in Khyber.

Following the engagements, security forces conducted sanitization operations in the areas “to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area”.

The military’s media wing added that the counter-terrorism operation “under [the] vision [of] “Azm e Istehkam” (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

Earlier in January, 11 terrorists were killed in two separate IBOs in KP.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorism since the TTP ended its ceasefire deal with the government in November 2022, vowing to increase attacks.

Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year, according to a report released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.