Militant behind army officer’s killing shot dead in northwest Pakistan raid, says military

A militant accused of killing Capt. Hasnain Akhtar, in a March 20 attack, was shot dead by Pakistani security forces during a nighttime raid in northwest Pakistan, the military said on Monday.

The high-value target, identified as Shireen, was killed along with eight other militants in an intelligence-based operation conducted overnight between April 6 and 7 in the Takwara area of Dera Ismail Khan district, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The military said it had received credible intelligence reports about the presence of extremists in the area. During the operation, troops came under fire but responded effectively, resulting in an intense exchange of gunfire that left nine suspected militants dead.

Shireen was described as the ringleader of a terrorist network and was allegedly involved in the targeted killings of civilians and security personnel.

The ISPR said he had long been wanted by law enforcement agencies for orchestrating multiple terrorist attacks across the region.

The killing of Shireen, the military said, avenges the death of Capt. Akhtar, who was killed last month. The officer’s death had drawn strong condemnation from across the country.

Uptick in violence

The year 2024 was Pakistan's deadliest year of terrorist violence since 2015, with attacks surging 70% and claiming 852 lives across the country, a security report revealed.

The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), a think tank focused on security issues, found that terrorist incidents have risen sharply since the Taliban took power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, reversing years of improving security in the region.

The report, titled 'The Pakistan Security Report 2024', documented 521 attacks throughout the year that left 1,092 people injured. The report warns that continued escalation could return Pakistan to the volatile conditions that preceded the 2014 terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.

More than 95% of terrorist incidents were concentrated in two provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

KP bore the brunt of the violence, experiencing 295 attacks — including five targeting religious minorities — which resulted in 509 fatalities and 517 injuries. This represents a 69% increase in attacks and a 21% rise in deaths compared to the previous year.