Pakistani security forces gunned down 13 members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during a high-intensity operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military confirmed on Wednesday.
The intelligence-based raid was carried out in the Daraban area near South Waziristan after reports of the presence of “Fitna al-Khawarij” militants — a term used for TTP fighters.
Operation Details
During the gun battle, 13 militants were killed, with weapons and ammunition seized from their possession. A follow-up sanitisation drive is underway to clear the area of any remaining insurgents.
According to the army’s media wing, the slain militants were involved in multiple terror activities, including:
- Facilitating a suicide bombing in Daraban in December 2023
- The abduction and killing of government officials
- Attacks on civilians and security personnel
Rising Violence in Pakistan
Pakistan has seen a surge in militancy in recent months, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. The escalation followed the TTP’s decision in November 2022 to end its ceasefire with the government and resume large-scale attacks on law enforcement agencies.
Just days earlier, in the same district, Pakistani security forces killed seven terrorists, including three Afghan nationals, in another counter-terror operation.
The Bigger Picture
The fresh killings underscore Islamabad’s intensifying struggle against the TTP, whose insurgency continues to destabilise Pakistan’s northwestern frontier.
