- One of the dead was the goal killer Muhammad Nazir alias Mujahid.
- Weapons, including AK-47 and pistols, were recovered from the spot.
- Police say the operations will continue until the last militant is eliminated.
PESHAWAR: Three militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted jointly by Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Bannu region and Lakki Marwat police in Darra Pegho Khel area, officials said on Sunday.
According to the CTD, the operation was launched after receiving credible intelligence about the presence of militants involved in attacks on police, security forces and civilians.
One of the slain terrorists was identified as a target killer, Muhammad Nazir alias Mujahid. Officials said he was involved in the killing of traffic police officers and a CTD official.
The other two militants were identified as Fawadullah alias Muaz and Afnan Khan alias Afnani. The CTD said both were wanted in several cases related to the targeted killing of security personnel.
Security forces recovered weapons from the possession of the slain militants, including a Kalashnikov rifle, two 9mm pistols and mobile phones. Three cards linked to a banned organization were also found at the site, officials added.
Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed and Additional IGP CTD praised the CTD and the police teams for the successful operation.
The IGP said that the land of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been made increasingly difficult for terrorists and promised that operations against militancy will continue until the last militant was eliminated.
Terrorist attacks have seen a sharp rise in Pakistan, especially in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban regime came to power.
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a statement on November 25, 2025 that 67,023 Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) were conducted across Pakistan – mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan – during the current year.
He said as many as 1,873 terrorists, including 136 Afghan nationals, have been killed in 12,857 IBOs conducted in KP and 53,309 in Balochistan this year till November 2025.
Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul to prevent its soil from being used by terrorists against Pakistan, and the issue recently resulted in heightened tensions with cross-border attacks from the Afghan side, which also resulted in retaliation by Pakistani forces.
