Security forces killed 22 terrorists in a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber District, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

According to the ISPR, on April 21 (Tuesday), security forces and law enforcement agencies conducted a joint IBO in Khyber on the reported presence of terrorists.

During the operation, after an intense exchange of fire, “22 khawarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij were sent to hell”, it said.

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

“Due to cowardice and fear of getting apprehended alive, khawarij resorted to indiscriminate firing, which resulted in [the] martyrdom of a 10-year-old innocent child,” the ISPR added.

The military’s media wing added that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, who were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.

A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other khawarij found in the area, the ISPR statement added.

The country’s “relentless” counter terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istekham’ “will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” it said, adding that the sacrifice of innocent civilians further strengthened resolve.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both lauded the security forces for the successful operation, state broadcaster PTV reported.

President Zardari, in his statement, expressed sorrow at the martyrdom of the 10-year-old child. He stated that “at a time when Pakistan was making every effort to promote peace in the region and the world, terrorists were attempting to undermine our efforts”.

PM Shehbaz also offered condolences at the martyrdom of the child as well, labelling it a “crime against humanity”. The premier vowed to “continue the war against terrorism until its total elimination from the country”.

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.

KP in particular has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the province recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

Due to a resurgence of militancy, especially in KP and Balochistan, where attacks often target security personnel and LEAs, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

Last month, security forces killed 13 terrorists in five separate operations across KP.

These operations came after a lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were martyred in a suicide attack during an IBO in Bannu.

In January, ISPR Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry shared that law enforcement agencies of Pakistan — including the army, police, Federal Constabulary, and intelligence agencies — conducted a total of 75,175 IBOs in 2025.