Wanted terrorist killed in CTD operation in DI Khan

Terrorist was wanted in 17 terrorism cases, had a bounty of four million rupees on his head

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

A wanted and notorious terrorist is killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Daraban area of the Dera Ismail Khan district on Sunday, CTD Superintendent of Police Iftikhar Shah said.

According to security sources, the operation was carried out within the limits of Daraban police station, during which the terrorist, identified as Qari Sohail, was killed. He was wanted in multiple cases of targeted killings.

Security sources said Qari Sohail was involved in the killing of police personnel, including constables Javed Cheema and Fahim, as well as driver Zahoor. He was also linked to attacks on police mobiles and assaults on Daraban and Chodhwan police stations.

According to CTD SP Shah, "The terrorist was wanted in 17 terrorism cases and had a bounty of four million rupees on his head. He added that the terrorist had long been on the wanted list of law enforcement agencies".

On April 20, one police officer was martyred and four terrorists, including two highly wanted commanders, were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations in K-P.

Read: Four terrorists killed, one police officer martyred in separate IBOs in K-P

In one operation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement, "After intense exchange of fire, two khwarij, belonging to Indian sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including Kharji Ring leader Waheedullah alias Muktiar, along with a suicide bomber, were sent to hell." A suicide jacket, weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists.

The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij for the terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The ISPR said that the terrorist ring leader Waheedullah was “amongst the most wanted terrorists” due to his involvement in multiple terrorist activities, including attacks that led to the “martydom of security forces personnel and innocent civilians”.

According to the statement, he was also the main handler of a suicide bomber in Bannu District on February 21, an attack in which Lieutenant Colonel Gul Faraz was martyred.

Lakki Marwat

In a separate operation by the CTD, two terrorists were killed, including a highly wanted commander, and a police constable was martyred in the Akhundan forest civil camp area near the Bannu border, a CTD spokesperson said.

K-P has been battling terrorism since the United States' ouster from Afghanistan, with terrorists often crossing the border to target police convoys and vehicles, resulting in the deaths of several officials and personnel.

The province has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, accounting for the highest number of incidents in the country. Out of a total of 5,397 reported incidents last year, K-P recorded 3,811, followed by Balochistan with 1,557 incidents. Only 29 incidents were reported from the rest of the country. A total of 2,597 terrorists were killed during the year.