RAWALPINDI: At least 10 terrorists were killed in a gun battle with the security forces in the Tank region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pezu neighbourhood on Tuesday, ARY News reported citing the country's military media wing.

The Pakistani military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday that the terrorists were killed after the security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation on the "reported presence of terrorists".

Ten terrorists were killed immediately as a result of a fierce firefight with Pakistani soldiers that took place during the operation. "These terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion [and] killing of innocent civilians," the ISPR said, according to ARY News.

The security forces found a sizable stockpile of weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the terrorists after the operation.

The troops have stepped up operations against militants as a result of an increase in terrorist activity since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced the termination of a ceasefire with Pakistan in November of last year.

Quoting Pakistan's caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti, ARY News reported that 14 of Pakistan's 24 suicide attacks this year were carried out by Afghan citizens.

Pakistani authorities have accused Afghanistan of allowing extremists to operate on its soil. The government has also recently issued an order requiring all illegal immigrants, including the 1.73 million Afghans present, to leave the country immediately or risk being deported