In an alarming escalation of violence, the proscribed terrorist group Khawarij has resorted to executing innocent civilians for refusing to provide food, marking a disturbing shift from extortion to acts of sheer barbarity. The group’s reign of terror, already marked by targeted killings and forced levies, has now expanded to include coercion of basic sustenance under threat of death.
The latest atrocity took place in the Baka Khel area of Bannu, where armed Khawarij brutally killed a local resident, Gul Maj, after he declined their demand to cook dinner. Eyewitnesses report that more than a dozen khawarij forced their way into his home late at night and ordered him to prepare food. Upon refusal, he was savagely executed on the spot.
Residents describe a climate of fear, stating that khawarij operatives are routinely invading homes, demanding meals, and meting out fatal punishments to those who resist. “This is no longer just militancy, it is the systematic terrorization of innocent people,” one resident said on condition of anonymity.
A similarly harrowing incident occurred a day earlier in Khyber, where khwarij shot dead the only brother of five sisters without provocation. In a separate incident, another young man, married just two weeks prior, was also executed in cold blood, underscoring the group’s growing impunity.
These incidents reflect a chilling evolution in khwarij tactics, moving from organised militancy to indiscriminate terror. The brazen killings have sent shock-waves through the region and raised urgent calls for stronger action to eliminate the group’s presence and protect vulnerable communities.
