Islamabad, Dec 27 (IANS): An army officer and 13 militants were killed in three separate operations conducted by security forces in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province over the last two days, the army said in a statement.

One operation was conducted in Bannu district, effectively targeting the militants' hideout and killing two terrorists during the encounter, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations(ISPR).

In another operation in North Waziristan district, a fierce gun battle resulted in the killing of the military officer and five militants, the statement said, adding that eight terrorists were also injured.

The third encounter happened in South Waziristan district, where six militants were killed and eight others sustained injuries, the statement noted.

Operations are being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, the ISPR stated.

Earlier in December, four militants were killed and two policemen injured when police in Pakistan's east Punjab province repelled a terrorist attack, an official statement said.

The incident happened in the Mianwali district of the province, where some 20 militants stormed a police station, the district's police said in a statement.

The police inside the station were alert, and because of its prompt response, "the terrorists' plot was foiled, and they fled the scene,".

The attack triggered a fire exchange between the two sides in which the militants were killed, it said.

Police took custody of the bodies, and an investigation is underway to probe their identities.