Pak army officer dies, 13 terrorists killed in 3 ops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A Pakistani army officer died and 13 terrorists were killed in three separate operations conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing has said.

All the operations took place in the early hours of Thursday, it said.

In the first operation, security forces targeted terrorists in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district, killing two terrorists.

A second operation in North Waziristan resulted in the neutralisation of five terrorists, with eight others injured. However, Major Muhammad Awais, 31, was killed in the gun battle.

In the third operation, security forces engaged terrorists in South Waziristan, killing six and injuring eight others.

The military emphasised its commitment to eliminating terrorism, saying, "Sanitisation operations are being carried out to eliminate any other kharji (militants) found in the area...such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve."  According to recent statistics from the interior ministry, in the past 10 months, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 948 out of 1,566 reported terrorism incidents, resulting in 583 deaths.