Security forces eliminate four militants in Dera Ismail Khan operation

Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that killed four militants identified as part of Fitna-al-Khawarij, the label applied to the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The operation, based on close surveillance, uncovered a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and Afghan currency. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been experiencing a rise in terrorist incidents, with data showing an increase in attacks compared with the previous month.

Recent violence includes a suicide bombing at an Aman Mela police checkpost that left twelve dead and thirty-five injured, as well as a thwarted TTP attack on a checkpoint in the Daraban area with no police casualties. Earlier in the province, a major assault on the old Police Lines in Kohat claimed twenty-three lives and injured roughly one hundred people, prompting an overnight clearance that eliminated eight terrorists.