13 terrorists killed as Darra Adamkhel operation continues in KP: security sources

• Eight militants neutralised on second day of ongoing counterterror operation

• Two Afghan nationals among dead, linked to banned Tariq Gidar group

PESHAWAR: At least eight terrorists, including two Afghan nationals belonging to the banned Tariq Gidar group — an affiliate of Fitna al-Khawarij — were neutralised on the second day of an ongoing operation against militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Darra Adamkhel area on Saturday, security sources said.

With the latest action, a total of 13 terrorists have been killed since the operation began on Friday, the sources added.

Security officials said the operation was launched on reports of the presence of a militant group in the area. They confirmed that the offensive remains ongoing, with the entire locality cordoned off by security forces.

According to sources, those killed include Daud from Zorh Kalay, along with Hamza, Qari Zeenatullah and Qari Lawangin. They further said that Afghan nationals Zeenatullah and Lawangin were among the dead, while efforts were underway to confirm the identities of the remaining militants.

Security sources reiterated that the area has been completely sealed off and clearance operations are continuing. They said the operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated.

The banned TTP’s Tariq Gidar group, named after militant commander Tariq Afridi from Darra Adamkhel, has remained active in the region and involved in multiple militant activities. Afridi was killed in 2012, reportedly by his relatives in Khyber.

Darra Adamkhel, located south of Peshawar and bordering Kohat and Peshawar districts, has witnessed multiple terrorist attacks on security forces and convoys, as well as several counterterrorism operations.

Security officials noted that terrorism has witnessed a resurgence in Pakistan since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in Kabul in 2021.

They added that Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP, but those calls have not yet been acted upon.

Earlier this month, security forces killed five terrorists in separate engagements in KP’s Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts. In early April, eight terrorists were killed along the Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan.