standard operating procedure
even when on military exercises
the formation signs and unit identifications are kept hidden.
its not just TTP, look at this practice in more than one dimension.
military planning depends on intelligence.
Any hostile entity would love to know what unit/ brigade or corps is deployed where (& where its not at the moment) .. its a process of elimination.(think over it what I mean and come back if you dont get it).
slapping a bit of mud on the signage, being blunt and dismissive to the inquisitive minds on the road, and keeping the chatter short & guarded are the rules of the day, whether its an exercise, deployment against a "regular" army or a group of terrorists like TTP.
there is an age old maxim back in the British Raj days, "
loose lips ... sink Ships"
if a specific Independent brigade (for example) is not in (say) SharakGar sector, then there is no need to make an announcement to "others" that hey, we are in Lundi Kotal at the moment. which means that someone else is having to cover for us and is thus stretched out.