By Staff Reporter
BANNU: Police forces have killed five militants in intelligence-driven raids across Bannu district in the country’s northwest on Saturday, including a commander and an accomplice directly linked to a suicide bombing that killed 15 officers at a police checkpoint the previous week, authorities said.
The operations, part of a newly launched campaign “Operation Intiqam-e-Shuhada,” or “Operation Revenge of the Martyrs,” came as local police and a civilian peace committee intensified efforts to dismantle militant networks in a district that has seen a sharp rise in attacks on security forces and civilians. Officials described the strikes as a direct response to the vehicle-borne suicide assault on the Fateh Khel police post.
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan, who has directed an aggressive push against militants since the checkpoint attack, said specialised police teams conducted multiple intelligence-based operations across the district using modern surveillance and tactical coordination. In a statement, Bannu police said that the slain men had been involved in repeated strikes on security personnel, the Counter-Terrorism Department and civilians.
Among those killed were Hiyatullah, described as a key target killer affiliated with the Zargul group; Asad Yar, who authorities said participated in the Fateh Khel checkpoint assault; Nimatullah; Commander Mansoor; and one unidentified militant. Police identified the highly wanted commander involved in the suicide bombing and his accomplice among the dead.
In a stark display intended as both warning and deterrent, authorities tied the body of one of the slain militants to an armored vehicle and paraded it through the city streets.
The new operation was formally launched earlier on Saturday by the Police Peace Committee during a meeting at the Bannu Police Lines. Committee members reviewed the deteriorating law-and-order situation, counterterrorism strategy and the need for greater public cooperation. Peace Committee President Hazrat Ullah told those gathered that the campaign against militants would proceed with full force and that the deaths of the police officers would not go unavenged. He described the protection of lives and property as a joint responsibility of police and the committee, pledging to use every available resource.
The committee announced plans to reclaim hujras and houses allegedly being used as militant safe houses and said individuals suspected of links to the militants would be required to explain their associations. Leaders stressed that the body would remain strictly non-political and invited members of the public to file complaints about police conduct for immediate review. They reiterated their commitment to continue operations until militants and their facilitators were eliminated and lasting peace restored. Local residents and civil society figures welcomed the police actions, praising the force’s determination to restore order in an area long plagued by insecurity.
The suicide attack that prompted the crackdown occurred last week when militants rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu district, killing 15 officers and wounding four others, including one civilian. Authorities attributed the assault to the group Fitna al-Khawarij. Pakistan responded diplomatically by summoning the Afghan charge d’affaires in Islamabad and delivering a strong protest to the Afghan Taliban administration. The Foreign Office said evidence from the investigation, including technical intelligence, showed the attack was planned by terrorists operating from Afghan soil. Officials warned that continued use of Afghan territory as a sanctuary for militants targeting Pakistan would not be tolerated and that Islamabad would take all necessary steps to protect its national security.
The incident fits a pattern of escalating cross-border violence. Since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan has recorded a sharp increase in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly pressed Kabul to crack down on terrorist networks using Afghan soil, but Afghan officials have so far declined to act against the groups responsible.
Earlier this year, Pakistan launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq” in February, several months after the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following border clashes sparked by Afghan Taliban gunfire. Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, the two countries have failed to reach a lasting agreement, largely because of Kabul’s reluctance to move against the militants.
Bannu and surrounding areas have been hit repeatedly in recent months by assaults on police posts, jirga gatherings and other targets, prompting a series of targeted raids by local security forces. Saturday’s operations, officials said, signaled that no space would remain for militants or their supporters in the district.
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