PESHAWAR / QUETTA — June 22, 2025 — A violent surge in terror-related incidents across Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces has claimed the lives of six security personnel, with several militants also killed in retaliatory operations, officials confirmed Saturday, reported by Dawn News.
In Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two police officers—Zahid Khan and Jamaluddin—were gunned down late Friday by unidentified assailants on motorcycles. The officers, stationed at Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate, were ambushed while taking a short break at a roadside hotel. Their solemn funerals were held at Shahmansoor Police Lines, attended by senior police officials and grieving families. A search operation has been launched, though no arrests have been made yet.
In Mardan, a grim discovery deepened the crisis. Four bodies were found in the mountainous Babuzai area of Katlang tehsil. Preliminary investigations by local police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) suggest the victims were executed by militants under the command of Abdul Hameed Hamasi. Among the deceased were Hammad Ghafoor, a local crushing plant owner, and Zubair Afridi, a tribal peace committee leader. The identities of two army personnel killed in the same incident have not yet been officially released. FIRs have been filed, naming six suspected terrorists.
Meanwhile, in Dera Ismail Khan, a key militant commander affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (Gandapur faction) was killed in a firefight with police. Identified as Fatah, the commander was shot dead during an ambush on a returning police team. The swift response earned the D.I. Khan police commendations from KP’s Inspector General.
In Balochistan, the violence continued unabated. Two Frontier Corps members were martyred in Kalat’s Mongochar area when an IED exploded during a mine-sweeping operation. Elsewhere in Kalat, CTD Sub-Inspector Fida Ahmed was shot dead near his home.
Mastung district witnessed further bloodshed as gunmen killed two men, including a police official, and later launched an attack on a Levies station. Armed assailants damaged official vehicles, looted weapons, and escaped into the mountains.
In Khuzdar, unknown attackers hurled grenades at the home of district council chairman Salahuddin Zehri, causing property damage but no injuries.
A significant breakthrough came in Qila Abdullah, where CTD forces killed five terrorists during a pre-dawn raid. The militants, allegedly linked to attacks on security forces, were found with weapons and maps of sensitive sites.
As Pakistan battles a renewed wave of militancy, officials remain on high alert across both restive provinces.
