PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police gunned down three militants, including an Afghan national during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) carried out in Khyber district late on Friday night.

Two among the three militants neutralised during the IBO, were involved in a suicide bombing in Peshawar.

A CTD statement said that the department acted on the reported presence of Fazal Noor, a commander of the so-called Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and other members of his group, in the Ali Masjid area of the district.

As soon as the SWAT team reached the spot, the militants opened fire which was returned, and an exchange lasted for around 30 minutes.

After the crossfire, a search operation was launched, during which the team recovered three bodies, later identified as Muhammad Naeem and Muhammad Karim, residents of district Karak, and Noor Nabi, a resident of Nangrahar in Afghanistan, affiliated with the proscribed IS-K.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2025