Pakistan: 4 Terrorists Killed In Shootout With Security Forces In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Those killed were wanted by law enforcement agencies for various terrorist activities and were also planning a major terror attack in the district.  

Pakistani security forces stand guard after an IED explosion injured three kids in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last month.

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In a recent intelligence-based operation conducted by Pakistani forces in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, four wanted terrorists, including a potential suicide bomber were killed, the military said on Wednesday. News agency PTI reported the operation was carried out on Tuesday in the North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media cell. The incident saw an intense shootout, the military added. 

Those killed were wanted by law enforcement agencies for various terrorist activities and were also planning a major terror attack in the district.  

The ISPR reported that a significant amount of arms and ammunition were found in their possession. 

The incident comes barely three weeks after terrorists stormed a military post in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The terrorists killed at least 23 people in the gun attack and suicide bombing in Daraban near Dera Ismail Khan on December 12, reported Al Jazeera. A week before that, terrorists planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in the province, which exploded, injuring at least three children on December 5.

The recent attack coincides with a significant escalation in terrorism-related violence across Pakistan in the past year, as indicated by data released by think tanks based in Islamabad. The total number of violence-related fatalities has surged to a six-year high, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. 

In 2023, Pakistan experienced at least 1,524 casualties related to violence, along with 1,463 injuries resulting from 789 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terrorism operations, as outlined in the annual security report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). This figure surpasses the previous record set in 2018 and is the highest level since 2017. 

Another think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) reported in its annual review that the country underwent yet another year of an unparalleled surge in militant attacks. According to PICSS, Pakistan witnessed an astonishing 69% increase in attacks, an 81% rise in resulting deaths, and a 60% surge in the number of injured individuals.