A key terrorist commander, Zahid Gul, was killed on Friday in a Lakki Marwat operation jointly carried out by the counter-terrorism department (CTD) and security forces, a police official said. The intelligence-based raid took place in the Walai Sagai area, which borders the Bittani subdivision, formerly known as FR Lakki.
Police identified Gul as a high-profile figure tied to the Gul Bahadur Group and as the main planner behind the recent suicide attack on the old Kohat Police Lines. According to the official, he directed the explosives-laden suicide vehicle used in that assault and was already heavily sought for several other serious terrorism cases.
What police say about Zahid Gul
The official said Gul had close links with the Gul Bahadur Group and helped bring multiple suicide bombers into Kohat. About two months earlier, he had allegedly brought a suicide bomber meant for an attack on the new Kohat Police Lines; that plot was stopped before it could be carried out, the official claimed.
He was also described as present at a bank robbery in the Bili Tang area of Kohat in which Rs6 million was taken. Police said that money was later shared among terrorist factions based in the Bakakhel and Janikhel areas of Bannu.
Planned targets and network status
Beyond the completed and foiled Kohat plots, the official said Gul’s intended future targets included a Pakistan Air Force facility and the Police Training School in Kohat. Other members of the same network are already held by law-enforcement agencies, according to the same account.
The Lakki Marwat operation fits a pattern of joint CTD and security-force actions against commanders accused of organising suicide attacks and supporting militant networks in and around southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police framed Gul’s death as the removal of a planner rather than only a foot soldier.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Recent period: Suicide bombing at the old Kohat Police Lines; police later named Zahid Gul as its mastermind.
- About two months ago: Plot to attack the new Kohat Police Lines with a suicide bomber brought by Gul was thwarted, police said.
- Undated earlier incident: Bank robbery in Kohat’s Bili Tang area involving Rs6 million, with Gul said to have been present; proceeds allegedly sent to factions in Bannu’s Bakakhel and Janikhel areas.
- Friday: Intelligence-based joint CTD and security forces raid in Walai Sagai, Lakki Marwat, in which Gul was killed; other network operatives reported already in custody.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lakki Marwat mein CTD aur security forces ne Zahid Gul naam ke terrorist commander ko maar diya. Police ke mutabiq yeh wohi shakhs tha jo Kohat Police Lines ke bomb blast ka planning karta tha. Us ke aur bhi plots Kohat mein rukwa diye gaye thay. Is se aam logon ke liye khatra kam hone ki umeed hai, lekin security alert ab bhi zaroori hai.
