Armed attackers shot dead Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Rahimullah in the Khas Warah area of Mamund tehsil in Bajaur district, prompting police to launch a search operation to track down those responsible.
Police said Rahimullah was targeted by armed men in the area and sustained fatal injuries in the firing. Police personnel reached the scene after receiving information about the incident and began an investigation.
The area was cordoned off as police launched a search operation to locate the attackers and gather evidence. The assailants’ identities, their motive and the circumstances leading to the attack had not been established at the time of reporting.
The killing comes amid a continuing pattern of targeted violence against JUI-F leaders, religious scholars and party workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Several prominent figures associated with the party have been killed in separate attacks this year, including in South Waziristan, Charsadda and Orakzai.
A Wave of Attacks Across KP in 2026
In January, senior JUI-F leader Maulana Sultan Muhammad Wazir died after sustaining critical injuries in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near a religious seminary in Wana Bazaar, Lower South Waziristan. Wazir also served as the district president of Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia. Police said an investigation was underway to identify those responsible.
In May, renowned religious scholar and former JUI-F member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Maulana Muhammad Idrees was shot dead in a targeted attack in Charsadda. He was the party’s district chief and was considered a close adviser to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Two police personnel assigned to his security were injured in the attack. No group had claimed responsibility in the initial reporting.
In August, Maulana Muhammad Ismail, a cleric affiliated with JUI-F, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Azam Warsak area of Birmal tehsil in Lower South Waziristan. Police said motorcycle-riding attackers opened fire on him after Friday prayers and fled. An investigation was launched, but the perpetrators’ identities and motive remained unclear.
In September, local JUI-F leader Haji Rehman was killed in an attack in Kandi Taal village of Upper Orakzai, within the jurisdiction of Dabori Police Station. The incident was reported as part of the continuing attacks on party figures in the province.
These incidents highlight that the threat to JUI-F figures extends beyond Bajaur, with repeated attacks reported in the southern tribal districts and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Bajaur’s History of Targeted Attacks
Bajaur has witnessed repeated attacks on JUI-F figures over several years. In October 2019, local party leader Mufti Sultan Mohammad was shot dead in the district. Maulana Abdul Salam was killed in a bomb attack in March 2021, while party activist Qari Ilyas was also gunned down.
The pattern continued in 2022, when JUI-F figures, including Maulana Shafiullah and Mufti Bashir Ahmad, were among those targeted. In June 2023, Maulana Noor Muhammad was killed in Inayat Kallay, adding to concerns over the repeated targeting of the party’s local leadership.
The deadliest attack against the party in recent years occurred on July 30, 2023, when a suicide bomber struck a JUI-F workers’ convention in Khar, Bajaur. More than 60 people were killed and scores were injured. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the bombing.
ISKP has also claimed responsibility for other attacks against JUI-F members, particularly in Bajaur. The group has opposed the party’s participation in Pakistan’s democratic political system and its perceived links with the Afghan Taliban. However, responsibility for Rahimullah’s killing has not been established, and no claim by a terrorist group had been reported at the time of writing.
The wider history of violence also includes attacks on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who survived multiple attempts on his life, including suicide bombings targeting his convoy in 2011 and an attack near a party rally in Quetta in 2014.
The killing of Rahimullah adds to the security concerns facing political and religious figures across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police are investigating the latest attack to identify those responsible and determine whether it is connected to the broader pattern of targeted violence against JUI-F leaders and workers.
