ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed seven militants in two separate engagements in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Sunday, amid a surge in militant violence in the region that borders Afghanistan.

The first operation was conducted in Daraban area of KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district in which four militants were killed, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

Three other militants were killed in a second encounter in Maddi area of the same district.

“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the khwarij [Pakistani Taliban militants], who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other kharji found in the area.”

The South Asian country brands the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), fighters as “khwarij,” a historical reference to an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority, declaring other Muslims as apostates, and justifying their killing.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and the state broke down in November 2022. The militants have stepped up attacks against police and security forces in recent months, with the military reporting deaths of 383 soldiers and 925 militants in various clashes in the country in 2024.

The latest operations came more than a week after militants killed an army officer and three soldiers in a shootout in KP’s North Waziristan district, according to the military.

Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militancy on Afghanistan, accusing it of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.