A terrorist and his accomplice, an alleged suicide bomber, were killed by security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said an IBO was conducted on Sunday on the reported presence of “khawarij”.

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

“During conduct of the operation, after [an] intense exchange of fire, two khawarij, belonging to the Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including Kharji Ring leader Waheedullah alias Muktiar, along with a suicide bomber, were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement read.

It added that a suicide jacket, weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists.

The ISPR said Waheedullah “was amongst the most-wanted terrorist list for his active involvement in numerous terrorist activities”, including the martyrdom of security forces personnel and innocent civilians.

It noted that Waheedullah was also the “main handler” of a suicide bomber who resulted in the martyrdom of Lt Col Gul Faraz during an IBO in Bannu on February 21.

“The operation has indeed avenged the heinous act and has brought the main perpetrator to justice. Timely action of security forces also averted a major catastrophe,” the ISPR asserted.

It said a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other “Indian-sponsored khariji” found in the area.

The military’s media wing added that the counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by the 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”.

Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security forces coming under attack amid a broader surge in militant violence.

Violence in Bannu has included attacks on police and jirga members, prompting targeted operations by police and security forces in various localities to disrupt militant networks.

Also on Sunday, two personnel of the Federal Consta­bulary (FCN) were martyred in a firing incident carried out by militants in the jurisdiction of the Cantt police station.

Earlier this month, a suicide car bomb attack at the Domel Police Station in Bannu killed at least five civilians, while 13 others were injured, including one policeman.

Just days before that, a head constable was martyred when a police vehicle in the district came under attack, with the ensuing fire exchange killing two terrorists.