Terrorist commander among four killed in North Waziristan IBO

• Operation conducted on reported presence of militants in area.
• Terrorist ring leader Musa also killed in IBO: ISPR.
• Weapons, ammunition recovered from slain terrorists.

A terrorist commander and three other militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation led by security forces in the general area of Khaisoor, North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday.

The operation was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists in the area.

"Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists' location as a result of which 4 terrorists were sent to hell, including a High-Value Target (HVT), terrorist ring leader Ibrahim [alias] Musa, who was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies," the military's media wing stated.

Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the slain terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, it added.

The ISPR further stated that the sanitisation of the surrounding areas is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.

The nation of 240 million has faced a surge in terrorism in recent months, with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant outfits intensifying their actions against security forces.

In response, the state has also launched operations to curb terrorism.

Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in a report released in October, noted that the security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.

In the third quarter of 2023, some 445 people lost their lives and 440 suffered injuries from as many as 190 terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) recorded during this period.