Security forces killed 22 Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan on November 26, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), troops effectively targeted the terrorists’ hideout and engaged the group in an intense exchange of fire.

“Twenty-two Khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said.

A sanitisation operation is underway to clear the area and eliminate any remaining terrorists linked to the network.

The military said the operation is part of Pakistan’s ongoing counterterrorism campaign under the vision “Azm-e-Istehkam”, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan.

Security forces and law-enforcement agencies continue the campaign “at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country,” ISPR added.