RAWALPINDI: Security forces have eliminated 13 Indian-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.
The IBO was conducted in DI Khan’s “Daraban general area on reported presence of khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij”, said the military’s media wing.
During the operation, our troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, resulting in the killing of over a dozen Indian-sponsored terrorists, read the statement.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in these areas, said the ISPR.
The military’s media wing added that the eliminated terrorists were also involved in facilitating a suicide bombing attack in Daraban in December 2023, abduction and target killing of government officials and innocent civilians.
A sanitisation operation was also conducted in the area to eliminate any other terrorists.
“The security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country,” it concluded.
The country has witnessed a surge in cross-border terror incidents since Taliban rulers returned to Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.
In August, the incidents surged by 74% compared to July, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The Islamabad-based think tank recorded 194 fatalities from militant attacks during the month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated his resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, saying that Afghanistan must choose between siding with terrorists or standing with Pakistan. He warned there would be zero tolerance for ambiguity on the issue.
Pakistan has hosted Afghans for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion through the Taliban takeover in 2021. Some refugees were born and raised in Pakistan; others are still waiting for third-country relocation.
According to media reports, following a 2023 crackdown on undocumented Afghans and those exceeding legal status, more than 554,000 Afghans have been returned since April 2025 under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — including around 145,000 in August.
According to security sources, masterminds and facilitators of terrorism are based in Afghanistan and are being supported by India.
The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.
However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan, which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.
Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP, with the former providing logistical, operational, and financial support to the latter. –Agencies
