Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2023

Two persons, including one Police Constable and a terrorist were killed during a clash between terrorist and Police when former attacked a Police checkpost in the Shahbaz Khel area of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 1, reports Dawn. “The terrorists attacked the police [checkpost] with heavy and automatic weapons and tried to break in,” Lakki Marwat Police spokesperson Shahid Hameed said, adding that RPG-7s, grenades and other “advanced weapons” were used. The killed Policeman was identified as Constable Tehsinullah of the Rapid Response Force while the terrorist was identified as Owais Abdulkhel. Weapons were recovered from his possession. Read less...

At least 11 terrorists, including a militant ‘commander’ and two suicide bombers, were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Wana area of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 5, reports Dawn. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Security Forces (SFs) “successfully foiled a high-profile terrorist activity” during the operation. “During intense exchange of fire, 11 terrorists, including terrorist commander Hafizullah alias Tor Hafiz and two suicide bombers, were killed,” the ISPR said. A cache of weapons and ammunitions were also recovered from the possession of killed terrorists. Read less...

Five Police personnel deployed on security of polio workers got injured when unidentified terrorists opened fire and threw hand grenades on their vehicle in the Hussaini Chowk of Dera Ismail Khan town (Dera Ismail Khan District) on January 5, reports Samaa TV. One terrorist also sustained injuries in the retaliatory fire of Police personnel. However, the terrorists managed to escape. Read less...

Police repulsed an armed attack of the terrorists on a Police Station at Wargara area of Lakki Marwat District on January 5, reports ARY News. Police said that all officials at the Wargara Police station remained safe in the terrorist attack. The terrorists faced retaliation by the Police force and locals. The terrorists managed to escape from the scene by taking advantage of the darkness of the night. Read less...

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and security agencies killed four militants in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Sarband area on the outskirts of Peshawar, provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 6, reports Dawn. Four Kalashnikovs and three hand grenades were seized, officials said, adding that around more four militants escaped and a search operation was underway. Read less...

In Lakki Marwat District, Police along with residents repulsed an attack on a Police post in Shahtora Takhtikhel area near Serai Naurang town on January 6. “A group of terrorists used light and heavy weapons to breach the police post building but they faced tough resistance from the cops deployed there,” said an official on January 7. Read less...

A Police Constable, identified as Pasham Khan was killed and another suffered gunshot wounds in a militants attack in Dogar Umarzai village in Bannu District, Dawn reports on January 8. Read less...

A hand grenade was lobbed at the home of Member of National Assembly (MNA) Nasir Khan Musazai in Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP, in the night of January 8, reports Dawn. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Peshawar Police said that the home, falling within the limits of the Inqilab police station, was attacked by unknown miscreants. However, no causality was reported. The MNA Nasir Khan Musazai had joined the PTI in 2018 but had said earlier this week that he had accepted the invitation of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and would formally join the party within the next few days. The attack on his home comes days after he told journalists at the Peshawar Press Club that KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had informed him to exercise caution and restrict his movement as threats had been received against him. Read less...

Police on January 8 shot dead two militants during an encounter in Shamooni Khattak area of Bannu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who were involved in the attack on a Police van on January 7, reports ARY News. Earlier, SATP had reported the incident in which a Policeman was killed and another injured on January 7 when militants lobbed a hand grenade at a Police mobile. Read less...

Unidentified militants attacked the Yarik Police Station of Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan with gunfire and ‘missiles’ in the night of January 8, reports Dawn. However, no loss of life was reported. A Police spokesman, Syed Yaqoob Shah, said that militants surrounded the Yarik Police Station at around 1am and fired missiles at the building. Police retaliated to the attack and an exchanged fire with the attackers took place, which lasted for about 45 to 50 minutes. The militants were forced to flee. The Police Station building was partially damaged. Read less...

A group of clerics (religious scholars) from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 9 issued a fatwa condemning terrorism and stating that Jihad can only be declared by the head of an Islamic state, not by individuals, reports Samaa TV. In the fatwa (religious edict), the scholars declared that not everyone has the right to declare Jihad, and that avoiding the laws of the land is unlawful. They also stated that it is haram (forbidden or unlawful) to take up arms and wage war against police and military personnel. If soldiers and policemen are killed while protecting Pakistan, they are considered martyrs, according to the fatwa. The fatwa also addressed the issue of rebellion against the State, stating that insurgency against the ruler of the time is considered sedition, and that perpetrators deserve punishment. It stated that sedition and rioting within the Islamic state, as well as incitement against the state, are not permitted under Sharia (Islamic law). The fatwa declared that anyone involved in sedition is considered to be rebelling against the Constitution of Pakistan. The 14-page fatwa has been signed by 16 religious scholars from difference schools of thought, including Maulana Qari Ehsanul Haq, Mufti Subhanallah Jan, Dr Maulana Attaur Rehman, Maulana Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Dr Abdul Nasir, Mufti Mukhtarullah Haqqani, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, Maulana Salmanul Haq Haqqani, Maulana Rehmatullah Qadri, Maulana Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Allama Abid Hussain Shakri, Mufti Mairajul Din Sarkani, Mufti Raza Mohammad Haqqani, Mufti Khalid Usmani, Mufti Sheikh Aijaz and Maulana Abdul Kareem. KP Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, one of the signatories, said the Ulema had issued the fatwa to answer some questions related to jihad. Maulana Tayyab Qureshi said: “Recently some so-called ulema tried to create chaos using Islam. After that, it became our responsibility to issue the fatwa.” Read less...

An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded at a private clinic at Lunda Sharif bus stand in the limits of Gomal University Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 11, reports Dawn. Police said unknown persons had planted an explosive device outside the private clinic of Dr Rehmatullah Baloch at Lunda Sharif in which the clinic was destroyed while nearby shops were partially damaged. However, there was no loss of life. Read less...

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on January 14 strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Police Station in Sarband area of Peshawar and expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of a Deputy Superintendent of Police and two other personnel in the attack. He said the sacrifices of police and law enforcement agencies are unforgettable. PM said the condemnable conspiracies of terrorists to weaken morale of the nation would not succeed. He said the nation along with law enforcement agencies is determined to root out the evil of terrorism. Read less...

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed the two terrorists who were involved in the attack, identified as Gul Hayyee and Hazrat Umar, both residents of Bara area of Khyber District and Mohmand Hal Yeka Tut in Peshawar, while two to three others terrorists managed to escape, adds The Express Tribune. A CTD spokesperson revealed that a cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the terrorists. Read less...

Three Policemen, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Badaber, Sardar Hussain and his two Police guards, identified as Irshad and Jehanzeb, were killed in a terrorist attack on the Sarband Police Station in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on January 14, reports Dawn. KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Moazzam Jah Ansari said that sniper weapons were used by terrorists for the first time in Peshawar. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility of the attack. Read less...

A seminary teacher was found beheaded in a mountainous area near Darra Pezu town of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 15, reports Dawn. The victim, identified as Mohammad Noor, 40, was a teacher in Jamia Rashidia in Mastikhel area of Tajori town. He belonged to Tank District. Allah Noor Khan, a brother of the slain teacher, told the Police he was shopping in Pezu Bazaar when someone informed him that the body of his brother was lying in the mountainous area. Read less...

Mobile van of the Lakki Marwat City Police Station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa narrowly escaped a bomb blast on January 16, reports Dawn. A Police official said unknown terrorists had planted an improvised explosive device (IED) under a culvert on the Old Kutchery Road to target a Police patrolling party. He said the area where the bomb was planted was at a stone’s throw from the city police station and the tehsil building housing offices of assistant and additional assistant commissioners. The IED went off with a bang moments after the Police van passed over the culvert. A patrol party led by additional Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Saboor Khan was on-board the van, who remained unhurt in the attack. Read less...

A Police patrol vehicle suffered slight damage after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the road went off in the Khoi Bahara Police Station of Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 17, reports Dawn. A Police official said the terrorists had planted an IED on the roadside to target the armoured vehicle of the Khoi Bahara Police. After the explosion, the Police responded to the attack and the militants escaped from the area. Read less...

A teenager was found beheaded in a remote area of Bargai village in Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 18, reports Dawn. The victim was identified as Raheedullah (19). He was killed by unidentified terrorists on charges of spying. A Police official said that the militant group ‘Ittehadul Mujahideen-i-Khurasan’ had left a dagger and a hand written chit in Pashto language along the body, carrying a message that Raheedullah was found guilty of spying for Army and Counter Terrorism Department. Read less...

Three Police constables were killed in a suicide attack at Takhta Beg Police checkpost in Jamrud tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 19, reports Dawn. Police said terrorists attacked the Takhta Beg checkpost at 7:30pm. The terrorists armed with hand grenades, entered the premises and opened fire using a sub-machine gun. After the firing, a suicide bomber blew himself up. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

On January 21, two Police officers, identified as Imran Khan and Rameez Khan, were killed and one, identified as Yousuf Ali, was injured in a gun attack on a Police check post by militants in Zardad Dahri in Charsadda District in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, reports The Express Tribune. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

A patrol van of the Badaber Police Station in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, narrowly escaped a bomb blast on January 22, reports Dawn. According to a statement issued by the Peshawar Capital City Police (CCP), Nasir Khan, in charge of the Badaber’s Shaikhan checkpost, was patrolling in Gula Khan Zangal, an area bordering Khyber District, when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near his vehicle. “Khan’s vehicle was slightly damaged in the blast. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties were reported,” CCP statement said. Read less...

One Army soldier was killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Janikhel area of Bannu District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 23, reports Dawn. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the killed soldier as 24-year-old Sepoy Gul Sher, a resident of Khyber District. Read less...

A Policeman, identified as head constable Gul Baran, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Mallah Khel area of Daraban tehsil (revenue unit) in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 24, reports Dawn. Gul Baran was killed after the unidentified assailants sprayed him with bullets while he was on his way home from a mosque. Read less...

A terrorist was shot dead during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 28, reports Geo News. "The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and [the] killing of innocent citizens," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. Read less...

A terrorist, identified as Umar Niazi, who killed Naveed Sadiq and Nasir Hussain — the Deputy Director and Inspector of the Inter-Services Intelligence’s (ISI) Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) — on January 3, was shot dead by security Forces (SFs) on January 30 during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Kurram District of KP, reports Geo News. Umar Niazi who was at large after killing the ISI officials, was arrested with serious injuries following an exchange of fire. Niazi succumbed to his injuries after a while. Intelligence agencies had nabbed the terrorist before he could slip into Afghanistan. Read less...

At least 93 persons, including 27 Policemen, were killed and 221 others injured in a suicide blast inside a mosque in Police Lines area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 30, reports Geo News. The suicide attacker was present in the front row during the Zuhr prayer (second prayer offered to God at the noon) when he exploded himself. Sahibzada Noor Ul Amin, Imam of the mosque, was also killed in the blast. Capital City Police Officer, Peshawar (CCPO) Ejaz Khan said close to 300-400 Policemen usually offer prayer at the Zuhr time. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the attack. Read less...

The suicide bomber who blew himself up after law enforcement personnel encircled their hideout in Hund village of Chota Lahor tehsil (revenue unit) in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 30, was identified as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist Izharullah, who carried PKR two million head money, Dawn reported on February 2. DOP Najamul Hussain disclosed on February 1 that Izhar and his accomplice had refused to surrender when the Police asked them on a megaphone to do so prior to the raid. Izhar, who used two aliases, Shiraz and Abdullah, belonged to Asota village of Razaar tehsil. His other colleague, who also blew himself up, was identified as Zeenat, hailing from Bajaur District. Another terrorist, who was arrested alive, was identified as Shoaib, also belonging to Bajaur District. Read less...

Two terrorists blew themselves up and a third one surrendered to police after law enforcement personnel encircled their hideout in Hund village of Chota Lahor tehsil (revenue unit) in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 30, reports Dawn. According to Swabi District Police Officer (DPO) Najamul Hassan, two terrorists blew themselves up and a third surrendered to Police after law enforcement personnel encircled their hideout after receiving information about the presence of terrorists. Two constables were also injured during the encounter. Read less...

Two terrorists were killed during an encounter with Security Forces in the Loni area of Kulachi tehsil In Dera Ismail Khan District on January 30, reports Dawn. A cache of arms were recovered from the possession of the slain militants. Read less...

The Security Forces (SFs) on January 31, recovered two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), seven rocket-propelled grenades and fuses near the Pak-Afghan border in Mamond tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports Dawn. The recovery was made during an intelligence-based operation conducted jointly by a team of Police and Bajaur Scouts, according to a statement issued from the District Police Officer’s office in Khar town. Read less...