ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it had killed 13 militants in two intelligence-based operations in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as security forces continued counterterrorism efforts in areas bordering Afghanistan.

According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the operations were carried out on Jan. 13 and 14 in the districts of Bannu and Kurram after reports of militant presence in the areas.

“On reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Bannu District,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding that eight militants were killed in an exchange of fire, while five others were “effectively neutralized” during a separate operation in Kurram district.

The military said “sanitization operations” were continuing to clear the areas of any remaining militants, adding that the campaign was part of Pakistan’s broader counterterrorism drive under its “Azm-e-Istehkam” initiative, launched in June 2024 to intensify operations against militant groups.

Pakistan refers to fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of armed factions, as “khwarij,” a term drawn from Islamic history for an extremist sect that rebelled against authority and declared other Muslims apostates.