A soldier was martyred while a wanted terrorist was killed in separate military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram and Mardan districts, according to a press release from the military’s media wing on Friday.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said two engagements took place between security forces and terrorists in the province on the night between Thursday and Friday.

An intelligence-based operation was conducted in Mardan district’s general area of Katlang, resulting in the killing of a “high-value target, terrorist ringleader Faisal”.

The ISPR added he was actively involved in numerous terrorist activities and was “highly wanted by law enforcement agencies”. It said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from him.

Separately, 33-year-old Lance Naik Ghairat Khan, resident of Kurram district, was martyred in an encounter with terrorists in the district’s general area Parachinar.

“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said.

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Earlier in the day, terrorist attacks in Balochistan’s Mastung district and KP’s Hangu collectively claimed the lives of at least 58 people.

Separately, four Pakistan Army soldiers were also martyred during an operation in Zhob — which is located at a five-hour distance from Mastung — as security forces thwarted an infiltration attempt of banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists from Afghanistan.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.

A report released in July by the think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.