High-profile terrorist commander killed in Bannu IBO: DPO

PESHAWAR: A highly wanted terrorist commander was killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted by the Bannu police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the district police confirmed on Thursday. Bannu’s District Police Officer (DPO) Captain (retd) Muhammad Furqan Bilal confirmed the terrorist’s killing in a conversation with Dawn. The DPO confirmed that the terrorist was identified as a high-profile commander, Naseer Muhammad alias Geedarh, who carried a Rs6 million bounty on his head. According to a statement issued by the police, an operation is underway against terrorists in the jurisdiction of Domel Police Station under the supervision of DPO Bilal, involving both the Bannu district police and CTD teams. The statement elaborated that the operation is being conducted in Akbar Ali Khan Kili, Sada Khel, Sadarwan and the adjoining areas, where police and CTD teams are carrying out targeted actions based on intelligence reports regarding the presence and movement of terrorists. Search and surveillance operations are also underway in the area, while security has been further tightened in various parts of the Bannu township and Domel. The police said further details of the operation and its progress would be shared after the ongoing operation was completed. There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded. On Monday, the district police, CTD and security forces conducted a joint IBO in the jurisdiction of the Miryan police station in Bannu, leading to the killing of an unidentified terrorist in an exchange of fire and the arrest of 10 suspected individuals. Last week, a captain was martyred while seven terrorists were killed during an IBO in KP’s Hangu district.