Pakistani security forces killed 11 militants in intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP, a northwestern province bordering Afghanistan) and Balochistan (a southwestern province), state media reported on Saturday, citing security sources. Five were killed in South Waziristan, where the state says it targets the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and six died in the Mashkel area of Balochistan after allegedly opening fire on a checkpost; the claims have not been independently verified. The operations come amid rising militant violence in KP, where attacks increased 50 per cent in August compared with July, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.