Security forces killed nine terrorists, including a suicide bomber, during intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to statements issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday.

According to the military’s media affairs wing, an IBO in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan was conducted on Monday, on the “reported presence of khawarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Khawarij”.

Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term that the state has designated for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban.

The ISPR said that security personnel “effectively engaged the khawarij location” during the operation, and after an intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed.

It added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from “Indian-sponsored killed khawarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”.

Earlier in the day, ISPR shared the details of the IBO in Balochistan’s Pishin in a separate statement.

It said security forces had killed five terrorists, including a suicide bomber, during that IBO on Sunday.

The military’s media wing said the terrorist tashkeel (formation) was engaged with multiple weapons. “After an intense fire exchange, suicide bomber kharji cowardly blew himself up and four other Indian sponsored khawarij were hunted down and sent to hell.”

Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered from the killed terrorists during the Pishin IBO as well, said the ISPR, and added that the militants were “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”.

Both statements by ISPR stated: “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists found in the area. Relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i -Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.“

Separately, the spokesperson for Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) also confirmed the IBO in Pishin and the losses suffered by the terrorists in an earlier statement.

He said that the terrorists had “planned to attack the police lines and Cadet College Pishin”.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in their separate statements, commended the security forces for their successful operation against terrorists in Pishin, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

The president said the IBO “against the Indian-backed Fitna al Khawarij reflects the nation’s resolve in the fight against terrorism”.

He said the war against terrorism will continue until the “complete eradication of this menace”.

In his statement, PM Shehbaz highlighted that the security forces were making great progress against terrorist groups “every single day with courage, determination and strength”, Radio Pakistan reported.

The premier reaffirmed that the entire nation stood with armed forces and law enforcement authorities in the war against terrorism.

Last week, on February 18, the CTD said a total of 14 suspected militants were killed in separate security operations in Quetta and Barkhan districts.

These included eight armed men killed during a security operation in Quetta’s Darakhshan area and “six terrorists were killed” during an IBO in Barkhan, according to the CTD.

A day later, ISPR said security forces had also killed four “Indian-sponsored” terrorists in an IBO in KP’s Lakki Marwat district.

The operations come as the state intensifies its counter-terrorism operations amid a tense security situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Additional reporting by Saleem Shahid.