Security forces gun down 22 terrorists in DI Khan IBO

• Slain militants belong to Fitna al-Khwarij, says ISPR.
• Sanitisation operation underway to eliminate any other terrorists.
• Counter-terrorism campaign will continue, says ISPR.
  

RAWALPINDI: The security forces have killed 22 India-backed terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

The terrorists, belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khwarij, were gunned down during an intelligence-based operation (IBO), the military’s media wing said in a statement.

The ISPR’s statement mentioned that a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorists found in the area.

It reiterated that a relentless counter terrorism campaign under vision “Azm-e-Istehkam” by security forces would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

Pakistan has witnessed an alarming 46% surge in overall violence in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, as per the statistics issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

The country reported at least 901 fatalities and 599 injuries, including civilians, security personnel and the terrorists, in a total of 329 incidents of violence, which also included terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

The CRSS report highlights that by Q3, the ongoing year has proven nearly as deadly as all of 2024, with 2,414 fatalities recorded compared to the entire tally of 2024, which reported 2,546 deaths in total.

Out of the total 901 fatalities in Q3, 516 (57%) were those of the outlaws, whereas there were 385 civilian and military martyrdoms.

Further breakdown reveals that civilian deaths stood at 219 (24%), whereas 166 (18%) security personnel embraced martyrdom.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan — both of which share a porous border with neighbouring Afghanistan — faced the brunt of the terrorism incidents, accounting for more than 96% of the total violence across the country.

KP was the worst-hit region, suffering nearly 71% (638) of the total violence-linked fatalities, and over 67% (221) of the incidents of violence, followed by Balochistan, with over 25% fatalities (230) and incidents (85).

Comparing the Q3 statistics with Q2 (616 fatalities), the report pointed out that KP and Balochistan reported the highest increase in casualties, with 64% (from 390 to 638 fatalities) and 21% (from 190 to 230) surge, respectively.