Pakistan’s security forces have killed the mastermind behind the deadly July 30 attack on a police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district, as counterterrorism operations under Operation 11 Garaj continue across the province.
According to security sources, the militant commander, identified as Amir Muawiya, was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Chapri Naryab area of Hangu. He was described as a senior figure within the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij, and was wanted in connection with multiple terrorist incidents.
Authorities said Muawiya was the principal planner of the July 30 assault on the Khazina Banda police checkpost in Hangu. The attack claimed the lives of nine police personnel, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Diyar Khan, while 28 others were injured. During the ensuing gun battle, security personnel and police reportedly killed 15 attackers.
The latest operation forms part of the broader Operation 11 Garaj, an ongoing campaign aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and their facilitators across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Security officials said intelligence-based operations have been intensified in recent weeks to target militant hideouts and restore peace in affected areas.
In separate operations conducted under the same campaign, security forces killed 10 terrorists in Bajaur and Khyber districts. According to security sources, two militants were eliminated in Bajaur’s Shakro area, while eight others were killed during operations in the Darbi Khel and Batan areas of Khyber district. The operations were launched on the basis of verified intelligence and are part of sustained efforts to eliminate terrorist threats.
Security officials reaffirmed that operations would continue until terrorist networks are dismantled and the region is secured.
The latest developments come amid heightened militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Just days before the Hangu attack, terrorists targeted a joint police and security forces checkpost in Tank district, where 15 people, including 14 security personnel, were martyred.
Recent data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) also indicates an increase in attacks targeting security personnel across the province during July, underscoring the persistent security challenges in the region.
Officials maintain that intelligence-led operations and coordinated action by security forces remain central to Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to counter terrorism and improve security across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
