Security forces killed 13 terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan on September 24, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

According to ISPR, the operation was launched on reported presence of terrorists belonging to an Indian proxy group, Fitna al Khwarij. During the exchange, troops effectively engaged the location, killing 13 terrorists.

The military’s media wing said that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed terrorists, who had been involved in numerous terrorist activities in the region. These included facilitation in a suicide bombing attack in Daraban in December 2023, as well as abductions and target killings of government officials and civilians.

The ISPR added that a sanitisation operation was underway to clear the area of any remaining militants. “The security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.