Security forces killed six militants while two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred during an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan, the military's media wing, ISPR, said on Sunday. The operation was conducted on 24 October in the general area of Zarkani, Dera Ismail Khan district, following reports of the presence of militants belonging to what ISPR calls the Indian proxy Fitna al-Khwarij.

The soldiers who died

The two soldiers killed were Naik Ghulam Murtaza, 36, of Gujrat district, and Sepoy Taseer Ahmed, 30, of Talagang district. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants killed, who ISPR said had attacked security forces, law enforcement agencies and civilians.

A sanitisation operation was under way to eliminate any other militants in the area, ISPR said, as part of the Azm-e-Istehkam counterterrorism campaign approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces and to the two soldiers, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the operation and expressed sympathy with the soldiers' families.

A second operation in Balochistan

Separately, an operation in Qila Saifullah, Balochistan, killed a commander identified as Adil Shah, also known as Darvesh, The News reported, citing security sources. He had been affiliated with Fitna al-Khwarij since December 2020 and had overseen its financial affairs since 2024, the sources said.

The characterisation of the groups involved comes from ISPR and security sources, and has not been independently verified. The operation underscores the continuing security challenge in Pakistan's north-west, where authorities have repeatedly launched intelligence-led actions against suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan networks, and where clearance operations in Zarkani were still under way when the statement was issued.