Six most-wanted militants killed in Lower Dir operation

Six most-wanted militants linked to the banned Fitna al-Khawarij group were killed during a joint intelligence-based operation carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and district police in Lower Dir on Wednesday.

The Counter-Terrorism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said they carried out this operation because they got information that some militants from the Fitna al-Khawarij group were hiding in the mountains of Lower Dir.

These militants were suspected to be involved in an attack on the Badwan Bridge police check post. In that attack a police officer named Constable Muhammad Ismail was killed.

Officials said security forces had cordoned off the area following the attack and were tracking the group’s movements. 

When the police tried to catch them, the militants came out of their hideouts and started shooting at the police. This led to a fight between the police and the militants. After the fight six militants from the Fitna al-Khawarij group were killed.

Three of the militants were Khalilur Rehman alias Saddam Najmuddin alias Abu Janah and Kifayatullah. The police are trying to find out who the other three militants were.

The police found six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades and a lot of bullets at the site. The Counter-Terrorism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said all six militants from the Fitna al-Khawarij group were wanted for terrorism cases.

The police are still searching the area to find the militants who escaped during the fight. IG of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed praised the Counter-Terrorism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the district police for their work. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is committed to stopping terrorism.

Senior officials from the Counter-Terrorism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also said they will keep doing operations against groups like the Fitna al-Khawarij group.

The operation comes amid ongoing counter-terrorism efforts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security forces continue to conduct intelligence-based operations against militant groups.