Rawalpindi: Pakistan's security forces have killed 24 Indian-backed Khwarij during a series of successful intelligence-based operations in Bannu and adjoining areas, the military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Friday.

According to the ISPR, the operations were launched following a recent surge in terrorist attacks targeting police personnel and a vehicle-borne bomb attack in Bannu, in which the Indian proxy Fitna Al-Khwarij targeted law enforcement agencies and innocent civilians.

The military said security forces initiated extensive joint intelligence-based operations to hunt down the perpetrators of the attacks and dismantle their support networks.

Over the past 24 hours, security forces conducted multiple operations across Bannu and nearby areas, resulting in the killing of 24 Khwarij after intense exchanges of fire. The ISPR stated that the forces effectively targeted terrorist hideouts and safe havens during the operations.

Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants. According to the military, those killed had been actively involved in numerous terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent civilians.

The ISPR said operations in the area would continue until all remaining Khwarij and their facilitators were eliminated. It added that everyone responsible for these "heinous and cowardly attacks" would be brought to justice.

The military reaffirmed that Pakistan's counterterrorism campaign under "Azm-e-Istehkam," launched following approval by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue with full force. The statement emphasized that security forces and law enforcement agencies remain committed to eliminating the threat of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.