CTD foils militant threat, kills three in DI Khan operation

WEB DESK: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday killed three militants in an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan, according to an official statement.

The militants belonged to Fitna-al-Khawarij, a term used by the state for members of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Operation launched after attacks on police

The CTD said the operation was conducted on the special directives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of police, as part of intensified action against militant groups following a spate of attacks targeting police personnel.

Acting on verified intelligence, CTD teams moved in on a suspected hideout in DI Khan and cordoned off the area.

Exchange of fire leaves militants dead

According to the statement, the suspects opened fire in an attempt to evade arrest, prompting CTD personnel to return fire in self-defence. Following the exchange, three militants were killed.

Their bodies were later recovered and identified during a subsequent search operation. The CTD said the slain militants were directly involved in attacks against police and security forces in the region.

Arms and explosives recovered

Weapons and ammunition were seized from the site, including three Kalashnikov rifles, nine magazines, two hand grenades and a large quantity of cartridges.

The CTD said search and investigation activities have been expanded in the surrounding area amid concerns about the presence of additional militants and facilitators.

Senior police officials commend CTD teams

KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and the additional inspector general of the CTD praised the department’s special weapons and tactics teams for the successful operation.

The police leadership said targeted actions against Fitna-al-Khawarij would be further intensified, warning that attacks on police and security forces would be met with a forceful response.

Militancy continues to rise

Pakistan has experienced a sustained increase in militant violence since the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Despite a high number of militant deaths, attacks continued to climb in 2025.

A recent report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies noted a 34 per cent rise in terrorist attacks last year, alongside a 21 per cent increase in related fatalities.

Recent attacks across KP

Officials said at least nine people, including seven police personnel and two civilians, were killed in recent attacks in the Tank and DI Khan districts.

Separately, the military’s media wing said security forces killed 11 militants in two intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.

In other incidents the same day, a CTD official was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Peshawar, while another police officer was killed in Bannu. A day earlier, a policeman was martyred in Bajaur, and another lost his life in an ambush in Khyber.

Last week, three police officers were injured in Bannu when a vehicle transporting prisoners came under attack. In a separate incident in the district, a former tehsil nazim was wounded in a bomb blast outside his office on January 6.