Curated News Summary

Terrorist commander killed during IBO in Balochistan's Qila Saifullah: state media

Source: dawn.com Published Sun, 25 Oct 2026 14:03:13 +0500

Why This Matters

Key context: Security forces killed a terrorist commander during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Qila Saifullah, state-run Radio Pakistan <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.radio.gov.pk/25-10-2026/security-forces-kill-terrorist-commander-in-qilla-saifullah">reported</a> on Sunday, citing security sources. The slain terrorist was identified as Adil Shah alias Darvesh in the state broadcaster’s report, which said he belonged to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “Security forces are actively carrying out operations against terrorists in Balochistan under ‘Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3’. According to security sources, the terrorist commander had been associated with Fitna-al-Khawarij since Dec 2020 and had been managing the financial affairs of the group since 2024,” the report said. The commander was also involved in facilitating permanent residences for “foreign terrorists” in Balochistan’s Zhob, Sherani, and Shaban, the report quoted the sources as saying. It added that the slain terrorist had been involved in attacks on security forces and kidnapping for ransom since 2022. Nineteen first information reports were registered against him and a bounty of Rs2.5 million was placed on his head, the report further stated. <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2014791'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2014791" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said in a post on X that his killing showed the security forces’ “professional expertise and readiness” <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/PakSarfrazbugti/status/2114268546796756996'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/PakSarfrazbugti/status/2114268546796756996"></a> </blockquote> </div> </figure> The province has witnessed terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time. On October 19, an army major was<a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2038237"> martyred, </a>and four terrorists were killed during IBOs in Balochistan. A day before that, security forces killed eight “India-sponsored” terrorists during IBOs conducted in the Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan. On Oct 14, five terrorists <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2037081">were killed</a> in an IBO in Balochistan’s Washuk by security forces, while 10 terrorists were killed in a targeted IBO conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Balochistan’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2036164">Barkhan district</a> on Oct 10. On Sept 17, three terrorists were <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2030608">eliminated</a> in an IBO in Balochistan’s Awaran district’s Badrang area. Another three were <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2029834">killed</a> in Mastung on Sept 14. Earlier in September, 21 terrorists were <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2026635">killed</a> in separate engagements in Nokcha, Chagai, Ziarat Cross, and Pishin. According to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://picss.net/reports/picss-monthly-insight-september-2026/">Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS)</a>, terrorist violence <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://picss.net/reports/picss-monthly-insight-september-2026/">increased substantially</a> last month, with 225 attacks recorded nationwide, compared with 199 in August, representing a 13.1 per cent increase and the highest monthly total recorded in 12 years. As per the report, terrorism related fatalities rose by 64 per cent from 158 to 259, while injuries increased by 33.7 per cent to 242. Balochistan remained the most affected province, the report said, accounting for 131 attacks — 58.2pc of the national total. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2039235">said </a>last week that the armed forces will continue the counterterrorism campaign against Indian-sponsored terrorist groups “to the fullest”, vowing to “hit them hard wherever they are”. This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.

Security forces killed a terrorist commander during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Qila Saifullah, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday, citing security sources. The slain terrorist was identified as Adil Shah alias Darvesh in the state broadcaster’s report, which said he belonged to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “Security forces are actively carrying out operations against terrorists in Balochistan under ‘Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3’. According to security sources, the terrorist commander had been associated with Fitna-al-Khawarij since Dec 2020 and had been managing the financial affairs of the group since 2024,” the report said. The commander was also involved in facilitating permanent residences for “foreign terrorists” in Balochistan’s Zhob, Sherani, and Shaban, the report quoted the sources as saying. It added that the slain terrorist had been involved in attacks on security forces and kidnapping for ransom since 2022. Nineteen first information reports were registered against him and a bounty of Rs2.5 million was placed on his head, the report further stated. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said in a post on X that his killing showed the security forces’ “professional expertise and readiness” The province has witnessed terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time. On October 19, an army major was martyred, and four terrorists were killed during IBOs in Balochistan. A day before that, security forces killed eight “India-sponsored” terrorists during IBOs conducted in the Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan. On Oct 14, five terrorists were killed in an IBO in Balochistan’s Washuk by security forces, while 10 terrorists were killed in a targeted IBO conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Balochistan’s Barkhan district on Oct 10. On Sept 17, three terrorists were eliminated in an IBO in Balochistan’s Awaran district’s Badrang area. Another three were killed in Mastung on Sept 14. Earlier in September, 21 terrorists were killed in separate engagements in Nokcha, Chagai, Ziarat Cross, and Pishin. According to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), terrorist violence increased substantially last month, with 225 attacks recorded nationwide, compared with 199 in August, representing a 13.1 per cent increase and the highest monthly total recorded in 12 years. As per the report, terrorism related fatalities rose by 64 per cent from 158 to 259, while injuries increased by 33.7 per cent to 242. Balochistan remained the most affected province, the report said, accounting for 131 attacks — 58.2pc of the national total. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir said last week that the armed forces will continue the counterterrorism campaign against Indian-sponsored terrorist groups “to the fullest”, vowing to “hit them hard wherever they are”.

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