Pakistani forces kill 24 militants in intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistani security forces killed 24 militants in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 4 and 5 , the military’s media wing said on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were carried out in Orakzai and Khyber districts against militants belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij, a term used by the state for members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Fourteen militants were killed during an operation in Orakzai, while 10 others were neutralised in a separate engagement in Khyber.

The ISPR said sanitisation operations were conducted after the encounters to clear the areas of any remaining militants. The operations were carried out under ‘Azm-e-Istehkam ’, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, as part of ongoing efforts to counter terrorism.

The latest operations come amid a surge in militant violence since the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 . Despite sustained counter-terrorism actions, Pakistan recorded a sharp rise in attacks in 2025, with terrorist incidents increasing by 34 per cent and related fatalities by 21 per cent year on year, according to the Pak Institute for Peace Studies.