Pakistan(National Times)- Four terrorists were killed during a joint intelligence-based operation by security forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Swat district, the military’s media wing said on Friday. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces and LEAs conducted the joint IfBO on April 18, 2025 on reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij location, resultantly four khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said. Fitna Al Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Furthermore, the security forces recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed terrorists, who according to ISPR remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area. “Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area”, it said, adding that the security forces in coordination with LEAs were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank. The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants. KP remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants. The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.