Pakistani forces target TTP hideout on November 27, eliminating 22 militants in intense firefight
Ongoing combing operations to neutralize any remaining threats in the volatile border district.
Operation follows TTP ceasefire end in 2022 and recent attacks like Peshawar suicide bombing
Pakistani security forces conducted a high-stakes intelligence-based operation in the restive Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday resulting in the elimination of 22 Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Thursday. The raid targeted a hideout of militants affiliated with the "Fitna Al-Khawarij", a term used by authorities to denote the TTP's extremist elements.
Troops engaged the terrorists at their location, leading to an intense firefight that lasted several hours, during which all 22 militants were neutralized, according to the military's media wing. No casualties were reported among the security personnel, though the operation underscored the perilous environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where TTP activities have escalated since the group ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The district, bordering South Waziristan and prone to cross-border incursions, has witnessed a string of recent incidents, including a suicide bombing at a paramilitary headquarters in Peshawar and a landmine explosion in Hangu that claimed police lives just a day prior.
A sanitization drive is underway in the vicinity to ensure no other threats remain, with weapons and ammunition recovered from the site, the ISPR added. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the armed forces for their valor, reaffirming the nation's solidarity in the fight against terrorism, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi highlighted the police's pivotal role in countering militancy. This strike comes as Pakistan intensifies operations against the TTP, which has regrouped through sleeper cells post-Operation Zarb-e-Azb, contributing to over 1,000 terror-related deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan this year alone.
The military vowed to sustain its "full-spectrum" counter-terrorism campaign, emphasizing that such actions will dismantle the TTP's operational capabilities and restore peace to the region
