BANNU: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed two most wanted terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday. The slain militants included the mastermind behind the deadly attack that martyred four CTD personnel earlier this year.
According to a CTD spokesperson, the operation was launched after receiving intelligence that terrorists from the banned organization Fitna-ul-Khawarij were planning a major attack on Company Road within the jurisdiction of the Domail police station. A special CTD team, supported by district police, immediately cordoned off the area.
As the security forces closed in, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire in an attempt to escape. The CTD and police retaliated effectively, leading to a fierce 25-minute gun battle.
Once the firing ceased, security personnel conducted a clearance operation and discovered the bodies of two terrorists, identified as Rashidin alias Malang Yar and Khalid Usman alias Usman, both residents of Bannu. Several of their accomplices managed to flee under the cover of darkness.
The CTD confirmed that Rashidin alias Malang Yar was the mastermind behind the April 30, 2025, attack on the CTD Bannu team, in which four personnel, including ASI Bin Yamin Khan, embraced martyrdom and one was injured. He was also involved in assaults on the Burganto and Spina Tangi police posts, where Constable Mir Saleh Khan was martyred.
The second slain terrorist, Khalid Usman alias Usman, had carried out multiple attacks and targeted killings of CTD and district police personnel during 2023. He was responsible for the November 2023 attack on Constable Amjad, who was on polio duty, and for injuring CTD Havaldar Abdul Hameed the same month.
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Security forces recovered two Kalashnikov rifles, six magazines, 23 rounds, two hand grenades, two mobile phones, and two TTP identity cards from the terrorists’ possession.
The CTD and police have since launched a large-scale search operation to apprehend the fleeing militants. Officials said the successful operation marks a significant blow to the Indian-backed Fitna-ul-Khawarij network operating in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
