Security forces neutralise key Afghan commander of Fitna al-Khawarij

• Basir killed, Afghan accomplice arrested in Arjam Kali intelligence-based raid

• Separate operation earlier eliminates 22 militants in Shewa area, ISPR says

 ISLAMABAD: Security forces neutralised a key Afghan commander of Fitna al-Khawarij, identified as Basir, and arrested his Afghan accomplice during a successful intelligence-based operation in the Arjam Kali area of Saranan in North Waziristan, state broadcaster PTV News reported on Wednesday.

According to security sources, the operation was launched after intelligence reports traced the presence of the high-value target in the Shaban area. Basir, son of Afghan commander Noorullah, was reportedly involved in planning multiple attacks on security forces and directing militant infiltration attempts in the region, the PTV News reported.

فتنہ الخوارج کا اہم سرغنہ افغانی خارجی بصیر سیکیورٹی فورسز سے مقابلے کے دوران جہنم واصل

20مئی2026 کو سیکیورٹی فورسز نے سارانان کےعلاقےارجم کلی میں ایک کامیاب آپریشن کے دوران فتنہ الخوارج کے اہم افغانی کمانڈر بصیر کو جہنم واصل جبکہ اس کے افغانی ساتھی کو گرفتار کر لیا گیا… pic.twitter.com/4OviGaPstu

— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) May 20, 2026

Officials said Basir was serving as an operational commander of militant formations attempting to infiltrate Shaban when security forces closed in on his location.

“Acting on actionable intelligence, security forces tracked Basir from the Shaban region and successfully neutralised him in the Arjam Kali operation,” official sources said, confirming that his Afghan accomplice was also taken into custody during the operation, the statement said.

Security officials further revealed that Basir had previously supervised a five-member suicide bomber cell linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, which was eliminated earlier in Balochistan’s Pishin area on February 22, 2026. His killing, they added, marks a significant breakthrough in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

Authorities described the operation as a major success in the continued campaign against terrorist networks under the national counter-terrorism framework Azm-e-Istehkam, which targets Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan groups operating along sensitive border regions.

A day earlier, security forces killed at least 22 India-sponsored militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij during an intense exchange of fire in North Waziristan’s Shewa area, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), had said.

The ISPR stated that a sanitisation operation had been underway since May 17 in the area following credible intelligence regarding the presence of militants. Troops effectively engaged the hideout, resulting in a prolonged and fierce firefight over the past 24 hours.

“Twenty-two khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR said, adding that a large cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the slain militants.

The statement further noted that the eliminated militants had been involved in numerous terrorist activities in the region and had been using coercion and intimidation against local residents, including forcing civilians to provide shelter and using them as human shields.

Security officials said the latest operation reflects the sustained tempo of counter-terrorism efforts under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, as security forces continue to target militant networks operating in border and tribal regions.