Six Most Wanted Terrorists Killed in Lower Dir Joint Operation: CTD

PESHAWAR:

Six most wanted terrorists associated with the Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij was killed on Wednesday in a joint operation conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the district police in Lower Dir.

According to a CTD press release, the operation was launched after intelligence reports confirmed the presence of a terrorist group in the mountainous areas of Lower Dir.

“The group had recently attacked the Badwan Bridge police checkpost, resulting in the martyrdom of Constable Muhammad Ismail. After the attack, the CTD and district police immediately began cordoning off the area,” it added.

The statement said that when the terrorists emerged from their hideouts with the intention of carrying out another attack, security personnel moved to arrest them. The terrorists opened fire indiscriminately on the police parties, leading to retaliatory actions in self-defence. The exchange of fire continued for a long period before the security forces gained the upper hand.

“A subsequent search operation confirmed that six terrorists were dead. Three of those killed were identified as Khalilur Rehman alias Saddam, Najmuddin alias Abu Janah and Kifayatullah, while the identities of the remaining three were ascertained. Six Kalashnikovs, three hand grenades and several rounds of ammunition were not recovered from their release.”

According to the release, all six were wanted by the CTD in several terror cases, while a joint search operation remained underway in the area to nab their absconding accomplices.

KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed lauded the achievements of CTD and district police and said operations would continue with full force until terrorism was eliminated from the province and the state writ was upheld at all costs.

Meanwhile, the Additional IG CTD promised that the blood of the martyrs would not go in vain and that all possible measures would be taken to protect the lives and property of the public.

Read more: Five terrorists killed in intelligence-based operation near Attock: CTD

He added that all wanted terrorists would be brought to justice.

In a separate post, the MoI noted that Naqvi hailed the “brave sons” who thwarted Khawarij’s “impure intentions”, adding that the minister said, “the nation is proud of the brave young men of the CTD and the police.”

KP remains a key focus of the country’s fight against terrorism, with security forces regularly conducting IBOs against militants. The province saw a significant increase in militant violence last year, with more than 500 reported attacks, a 50% increase compared to the previous year.

Read more: 4 terrorists killed in DI Khan, Mohmand IBOs

According to a security assessment, KP recorded 1,588 terror-related incidents, underscoring the growing militant threat across both settled and tribal districts. Despite the increase in attacks, security forces reportedly foiled 320 major attacks, while 137 police officers were killed in the line of duty. The report said joint operations by the KP Police, CTD and other security agencies led to the arrest of 1,244 suspected militants while 420 militants were killed in IBOs.