At least 15 terrorists, including high-ranking senior commanders, and four army troops were killed in two separate operations conducted in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan on Saturday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, two intelligence-based operations were conducted in Dera Ismail and North Waziristan districts of the province.

The first hostage rescue operation took place in Hathala area of Dera Ismail Khan district where security forces effectively eliminated the terrorists on the spot.

Nine of them, including high-ranking field commanders Farman alias Saqib, Harji Amanullah alias Turi, Harji Saeed alias Liaqat and Harji Bilal, were killed, ISPR said, adding that they were involved in numerous terrorist attacks in the region and were on the law enforcement agencies' most wanted list.