The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement on Tuesday that 15 militants were killed during two intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to ISPR, the operations were carried out during the night between November 15 and 16. The militants who were killed were linked to what the state refers to as “Fitna-e-Khawarij,” a term used by security institutions for fighters of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The army said the first operation took place in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), where security forces conducted a successful raid on a militant hideout. As a result, 10 militants—including their commander, Alam Mehsud—were killed.

ISPR added that the second operation was carried out in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, where security forces killed another five militants.

The military further stated that clearance operations are ongoing to fully secure the region from what it described as “foreign-backed extremist elements.” ISPR reaffirmed that security forces and law enforcement agencies will continue counterterrorism operations until the threat of externally supported militancy is eliminated from the country.

President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces for the successful operations. In his statement, he said that efforts to eliminate foreign-backed terrorism would continue with national consensus.

President Zardari said the killing of the militant leader was the result of an effective security strategy. He also warned that political attempts to divert attention away from the national unity against terrorism would not be tolerated.

These operations come at a time when Pakistan—especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan—has seen a rise in militant activity. This increase began after the banned TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowed to resume attacks on security forces, police, and other law enforcement agencies.

Last month, the Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reported that violence in the country had intensified over the past three months due to a rise in militant attacks as well as stepped-up counterterrorism operations.