Six soldiers were martyred while 12 terrorists were killed during operations in the North and South Waziristan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the military’s media wing.

In a statement on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that security forces detected the movement of seven terrorists attempting to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan on Thursday.

The statement noted that the infiltrators were swiftly surrounded and engaged, resulting in a “fierce exchange of fire” that led to the death of all seven terrorists. A significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered from the site.

In July, the government officially designated the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al Khawarij,” instructing all institutions to refer to the perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan as khariji (outcast).

In a separate incident, the ISPR said that terrorists launched an attack on a security forces checkpoint in the Ladha area of South Waziristan.

The statement highlighted that the troops repelled the intrusion, killing five terrorists during the confrontation. In the exchange of fire, six soldiers were martyred.

It added that sanitisation operations are under way to eliminate any remaining terrorists in the area, reaffirming the commitment of security forces to eradicate the “menace of terrorism” from Pakistan.

“The sacrifices of our courageous soldiers only strengthen our resolve,” the statement added.

In the recent past, Pakistan has experienced a significant rise in attacks targeting security forces, law enforcement agencies, and checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.