Security forces eliminated thirteen terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, state media reported on Wednesday, citing security sources. Pakistan TV said security forces “killed 13 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in an IBO in North Waziristan, as operations against militant groups continue under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision”. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. A day earlier, in another North Waziristan IBO, security forces killed five terrorists, state media said. KP has been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time. The province, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August compared with 36 in July, representing an increase of 50 per cent, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). On October 2, security forces killed seven terrorists in an IBO in North Waziristan. On September 30, security forces killed three terrorists in an IBO in KP’s Mir Ali. A day before that, in an IBO in KP’s Bara area, security forces killed five terrorists. On Sept 28, four terrorists were killed during an IBO in Dera Ismail Khan. On Sept 26, a dozen people lost their lives while 35 others were injured in a suicide blast that targeted the Aman Mela police checkpost in DI Khan’s Darazinda tehsil. On Sept 18, a major attack in the old Police Lines in KP’s Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation. On Sept 17, security forces killed 10 terrorists in separate operations in KP between Sept 15 and 17. Earlier that month, over 20 terrorists were killed during multiple engagements in KP between Sept 3 and 5.