PESHAWAR: Conflicting reports suggest that air strikes conducted in Datakhel tehsil of North Waziristan Agency have killed key commanders of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.

The dead are reported to include Gul Bahadur, Sadiq Noor and Akhtar Muhammad along with 30 other militants of the group.

Some sources are saying that at least seven key commanders of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group have died in the strikes.

Pakistani F16 jet fighters targeted the militants compound and a vehicle in Seen Tanga area of Datakhel tehsil of the agency.

Military sources say that the strikes have been carried out against the militants in the area but their identity and the causality figure is yet to be confirmed.

Read also: Airstrikes in North Waziristan kill 18 suspected militants

Hafiz Gul Bahadur is commander of the Shura Mujahideen in North Waziristan. He had signed a peace deal with the Pakistani army in 2006, which had been renewed in 2008.

Read also: Analysis: Why Bahadur is so vexed

Bahadur however withdrew from the agreement citing the military operation in North Waziristan as a violation of the peace treaty.

Bahadur is also reportedly associated with the Haqqani group while leading his own group of the Taliban in NWA distinct from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Opinion

Editorial

In chains
Updated 25 May, 2026

In chains

THE question should never be about who is at the receiving end at any given point in time: an assault on an...
Climate shocks
25 May, 2026

Climate shocks

THE latest State Bank report documenting recurring climatic disasters in Pakistan during the period between 2000 and...
Justice deferred
25 May, 2026

Justice deferred

PAKISTAN’S courts are quick to remind the public that justice takes time. Increasingly, however, it is the conduct...
Some progress
Updated 24 May, 2026

Some progress

Pakistan deserves credit for helping preserve diplomatic space, but also must avoid appearing aligned with coercive pressure from any side.
Chinese market
24 May, 2026

Chinese market

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to China presents an opportunity to rebalance Pakistan’s economic...
Harvesting humans
24 May, 2026

Harvesting humans

ORGAN brokers have for too long preyed on desperation to rake it in. The odious trade — among the most harmful...