In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said three khwarij including Kharji Rehmat were killed while two terrorists were injured in an intelligence based operation in the general area of Maddi, Dera Ismail Khan district on the reported presence of khwarij on the night of February 8 and 9.

Four terrorists were killed while three were injured in another intelligence based operation in the general area of Mir Ali, North Waziristan district.

“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” it said.

Pakistan has been battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western border regions since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan.

Last year saw casualties hit a six-year high, with more than 1,500 civilians, security forces and militants killed, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

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Last month, the security forces killed five terrorists belonging to the banned Fitna Al Khawarij on the night of January 18-19 who were trying to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the general area of Sambaza, Zhob district.

In January, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir stated that the main issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan stem from the presence of the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in Afghanistan and ongoing cross-border attacks.