A soldier was martyred and 15 terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Zhob district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.

The operation was conducted in the Sambaza area of Zhob district on December 10, on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

During an intense gun battle, security forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, resulting in the killing of 15 “khwarij.”

However, Sep Arif ur Rehman (age 32 years; resident of Mansehra District) embraced martyrdom after fighting gallantly during the intense exchange of fire, it added.

“A large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the killed Khawarij,” said the statement.

“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to neutralize any other Kharji present in the area,” said the ISPR.

Pakistan has seen an increase in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the Pakistani chapter of the movement carrying out attacks mostly targeting security forces.

On Monday, security forces killed two terrorists and apprehended another in injured condition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan District.Earlier this month, a Frontier Corps captain and an army soldier were martyred in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu and Khyber districts.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the security forces for eliminating the 15 terrorists in Zhob.

“We salute the security forces for their successful operation against terrorists in Zhob,” the premier said in a statement.

The security forces have foiled the nefarious designs of “khwarij” terrorists by taking timely action, he added.