Security forces eliminated a key khariji commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), designated by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij, during a targeted operation in Bajaur’s Mamund tehsil, officials said Tuesday.
The slain terrorist was identified as Commander Saleem Khan, also known as Lala, a resident of Nakhtar area. He was regarded as one of the most active Khawarij in Bajaur and was directly involved in a series of terrorist attacks targeting both civilians and security personnel.
According to security sources, Khan’s presence in the region had been under surveillance for weeks. His killing, they said, marks a significant blow to the TTP’s local network, which has been attempting to regroup in tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.
The development comes amid intensified counter-terror operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On Monday, in Lakki Marwat district, another wanted khariji commander Hikmatullah was gunned down during a security raid, while in South Waziristan, Qari Haussain, a high-value TTP figure, was killed by unidentified gunmen. Both men were linked to deadly attacks on security forces and civilians. Notably, Haussain had recently executed a young man on charges of espionage and was accused of threatening the victim’s elderly mother.
Security officials say these back-to-back eliminations underscore the mounting pressure on TTP’s operational structure in Pakistan’s northwest.
