Wanted terrorist killed in CTD operation in Dera Ismail Khan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A wanted terrorist was killed in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, according to a statement issued by the Counter Terrorism Department on Saturday.

The CTD identified the dead man as Khalid alias Commander and said he had been wanted in several cases, including the targeted killing of CTD Constable Muhammad Ali, who was martyred on March 17, 2025.

According to the department, its technical team received confirmed intelligence that Khalid was present in the Korai area within the jurisdiction of Shorkot police station. Acting on that information, a CTD Special Weapons and Tactics team carried out a targeted operation early on Saturday on the Tank-Dera Ismail Khan Road.

The CTD said the suspect was encircled and repeatedly asked to surrender, and that attempts were made to arrest him. He instead opened indiscriminate fire at personnel, after which he was killed when the CTD returned fire.

The statement said Khalid was linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Zakir Kochi Karwan group. He had been avoiding law enforcement by hiding his identity, frequently altering his appearance and shifting between locations.

According to the CTD, a 9mm pistol, a hand grenade and a smartphone were recovered from his possession. The items have been taken into custody for forensic examination.

The department said efforts were continuing to identify and proceed legally against those involved in facilitating, financing and providing logistical support to him.

Violence in KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in militant violence over the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, fatalities in the province increased from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.

this as an absolute increase of 711 deaths, accounting for more than 82 per cent of the net national rise and representing nearly a 44 per cent year-on-year increase in violence in the province.