Overview

• ISPR says troops raided the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan on September 24 after intelligence on ‘Fitna al Khwarij’ militants.
• Thirteen suspected TTP fighters were killed and caches of weapons and ammunition were recovered, with area sweeps continuing.
• The military links the cell to the December 2023 Daraban suicide bombing and to abductions and targeted killings in the district.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari praised the raid, with the premier publicly pressing Afghanistan to curb cross-border militancy.
• Officials describe the group as Indian-sponsored, a charge New Delhi denies and which is reported as an allegation.