ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have gunned down 21 militants in separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday.

The development comes amid a surge in militancy in the northwestern Pakistani province bordering Afghanistan, where militant groups have frequently targeted security forces, police and civilians in recent months.

Naqvi praised security forces for successfully eliminating these militants and thwarting their nefarious intentions.

“The security forces are determined to completely eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists,” the minister said. “The nation stands with the security forces in the war against terrorism.”

There was no immediate response from New Delhi to Naqvi’s statement.

It came a week after a police constable was killed and five other officers were wounded when militants attacked a police convoy in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district, police said.

Pakistan has seen a rise in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended a ceasefire with the government in late 2022.

Islamabad has frequently accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks in Pakistan. New Delhi and Kabul deny this.