KARACHI: Security forces have killed 22 Pakistani Taliban militants in an operation in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Thursday, amid an uptick in attacks in the South Asian country.

The intelligence-based operation was conducted in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district on reports about the presence of members of the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has stepped up its attacks against security forces in recent years.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, described the deceased suspects as “Indian-sponsored” militants. There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the Pakistani military’s statement.

“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji (militant) found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

“Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

KP, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militancy in recent years, with the TTP and other militant groups frequently targeting security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.

Earlier in the day, three Pakistani policemen were killed when militants attacked a security checkpoint in KP’s Hangu district, officials said.

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.

The uptick in militant violence last month triggered fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, but tensions between the neighbors remain high.