Security Forces Eliminate Fitna al-Khawarij Commander in Major Bannu Operation as Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign intensifies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two militants, including key commander Tariq Kachhi of the Fitna al-Khawarij network, were killed in a successful intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Mughal Kot sector of Bannu district, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to security sources, the operation specifically targeted the Tariq Kachhi group, a faction of the Fitna al-Khawarij network. During the exchange of fire, the group’s leader, Tariq Kachhi, and another militant, identified as Hakeemullah alias Tiger, were neutralised. A large cache of weapons, ammunition, and communication equipment was also recovered from the site.
Officials said Tariq Kachhi was a notorious figure involved in multiple terrorist activities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past two years and maintained links with extortion networks operating under the Fitna al-Khawarij Taliban name. He was also reported to have facilitated the infiltration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan. The successful operation has dealt a significant blow to the group’s organisational network and reaffirmed the security forces’ determination to root out terrorism from the region.
Meanwhile, in Mir Ali, militants attempted a failed suicide attack on the Khadi post on October 17, resulting in the martyrdom of three women and two children. Security forces swiftly retaliated, killing four terrorists on the spot. The outlawed Gul Bahadur group later claimed responsibility for the cowardly attack.
Separately, in a major anti-terror sweep on October 16, security forces killed 18 Indian-backed Khawarij militants during multiple operations in Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, and Datta Khel. Among those neutralised was commander Mehboob alias Muhammad. Eight militants were killed in Lakki Marwat, while four attackers, including a suicide bomber, were eliminated during an assault on a security camp in Mir Ali.
Officials said over 100 militants — acting as Afghan Taliban proxies — have been neutralised in the past four days under the National Action Plan. These precision operations underscore Pakistan’s resolve to crush foreign-backed militancy threatening regional stability.
In Islamabad, authorities also discovered an unregistered camp of Afghan nationals in the Sohan Zone suspected of assisting land-grabbing and terrorism-linked networks. Intelligence agencies have raised concerns over their movements, while local police stated that the matter falls under the district administration’s jurisdiction.