Security forces in North Waziristan district repelled a major militant assault on the Khaddi fort in Mir Ali, killing six attackers linked to the Hafiz Gul Bahadar network.
The suicide attack in North Waziristan underscored the continuing threat of militancy in the tribal borderlands, despite repeated military operations in recent years.
Officials said the attack began when a bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the fort’s perimeter wall, detonating it in a powerful explosion that could be heard miles away. Moments later, several gunmen attempted to storm the compound but were intercepted and killed in a firefight with soldiers guarding the facility.
Also Read: KP Bureaucracy and Police Allowance Increase Approved by Government
Also Read: Govt Bans Use of Term ‘Killed’ For Security Personnel in Media
Also Read: Bajaur Military Operation Fears Trigger Mass Displacement
The bomber, identified as Qari Jandullah, was a member of the Khalid bin Waleed Suicide Squad—a faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadar network that has supplied bombers to other militant groups across the Bannu division. Security analysts say the network, once part of Pakistan’s complex militant landscape, has re-emerged in recent months, taking advantage of the porous border and instability in Afghanistan.
Seven soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the assault, while Pakistan Army Aviation Corps deployed attack helicopters to provide close air support during the engagement. Security officials said no further damage occurred inside the fort, and the area has since been cleared.
In the past 48 hours, officials claimed, at least 88 militants connected to the Hafiz Gul Bahadar group have been killed in counterterrorism operations. The military vowed to continue its campaign “until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
The suicide attack in North Waziristan is the latest in a string of assaults along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier, where renewed militant activity has stirred fears of a return to the violence that once gripped the region.
