In a forceful assertion of state authority against the Khawarij insurgency, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and district police units neutralised key figures of the banned outfit in separate operations in Swat and Hangu, including a wanted commander who carried a bounty of Rs2 million and another directly linked to a targeted assault on a senior police officer.
In Swat’s Barikot area, CTD operatives killed three central members of the Khawarij network in a high-value intelligence-based operation. Among those eliminated was Ajmal alias Waqas the mastermind behind the assassination of Village Defence Council (VDC) personnel whose head money had been fixed at Rs2 million by the provincial government. The slain individuals were also wanted for their role in attacks on police, extortion campaigns, IED blasts, and advancing a foreign-funded agenda to destabilise the region.
“The takedown of these Khawarij operatives marks a critical disruption of their operational wing in Swat,” a CTD spokesperson confirmed. “We are intensifying efforts to uproot their networks and prevent any resurgence.”
Senior law enforcement officials, including Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed and Regional Police Officer Malakand Division Sher Akbar Khan, lauded the precision of the strike and the intelligence coordination that led to the success. “The state is committed to denying space to the Khawarij,” IGP Hameed stated. “This is a message to all such elements: you will be hunted, and you will be held accountable.”
In a parallel crackdown, police in Hangu conducted a follow-up operation that led to the killing of a Khawarij operative responsible for a recent attack on District Police Officer (DPO) Hangu. The encounter occurred in the Doaba area, where the wanted attacker was located and killed following a brief exchange of fire. A police vehicle was partially damaged during the operation, but no casualties were reported from the law enforcement side.
Officials believe the Hangu attacker was part of a broader network orchestrating direct strikes on senior police leadership in the southern belt of the province. The swift retaliation by law enforcement serves as a warning to those who seek to challenge state institutions through targeted violence.
Security experts say the coordinated operations in Swat and Hangu reflect a renewed counterinsurgency focus on eliminating the Khawarij from both northern and southern zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police officials have vowed to carry forward this momentum and deliver justice to all those involved in undermining peace and targeting security personnel.
