Terrorist killed in N Waziristan operation identified as Afghan national

Pakistani soldiers stand near debris of a house which was destroyed during a military operation against militants in the town of Miranshah, North Waziristan, on, July 9, 2014. — AFP

Efforts being made to repatriate slain terrorist’s mortal remains.
Security forces gunned down Luqman Khan during Feb 6 operation.
Military calls out Afghan govt for failure in controlling terrorism.

RAWALPINDI: A terrorist killed in the recent security operation in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel was identified as an Afghan national, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

The military’s media wing said that the individual identified as Luqman Khan, alias Nusrat, son of Kamal Khan, had been eliminated by the security forces in an operation on February 6. He was a resident of Spera District, Khost province, Afghanistan.

Being an Afghan citizen, the Interim Afghan government authorities were being approached to take over his body of the individual, it added.

“Such incidents are irrefutable evidence of involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities in Pakistan. Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said.

At least three terrorists were killed a day earlier during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Datta Khel area. The military’s media wing said that the terrorists were attempting to escape wearing women’s attire (burqa) when they were engaged by security forces.

The security operations are part of a sustained effort as the country witnessed a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.

Islamabad has time again urged Kabul to not allow its territory to be used by terrorist groups to carry out attacks against Pakistan.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.

The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.

Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.

In Punjab, two militant attacks were reported, leaving one security official injured.

On the last day of January, militants launched a major assault on a police check post in DG Khan’s Jhangi area, but security forces repelled the attack without any casualties. Sindh and the federal capital, Islamabad, each witnessed one attack, though neither resulted in fatalities.

The month also saw two suicide bombings, both in Balochistan. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for one, while the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army took credit for the other.