Security forces have killed 15 India-backed militants in separate intelligence-based operations conducted across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The operations were carried out on November 15 and 16 in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan and the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan as part of Operation Al-Khwarij, ISPR said.

In the first action, security forces targeted a militant hideout in Kalachi, killing 10 militants, including their ringleader Alam Mehsud. In the second operation in Datta Khel, five more militants were eliminated.

ISPR stated that clearance operations are under way to eradicate the presence of India-sponsored militants in the region. The military added that the counterterrorism campaign will continue until the last trace of foreign-backed terrorism is eliminated.