PESHAWAR: The increasing terrorist activities of Khawarij in Tirah Valley have once again raised alarms of new attacks in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, the Khawarij have resumed launching terrorist attacks on Peshawar through their networks in Tirah Valley. The distance between Tirah and Peshawar is only about 70 kilometres, with travel time taking just two hours.
Sources unveiled that the Afghan Khawarij involved in the November 24 attack on the Federal Constabulary Headquarters in Peshawar used the Tirah route. Similarly, the Khawarij who destroyed the gas pipeline with an IED in Hassan Khel, Peshawar on November 25 also came from Tirah Valley.
In past, the centre of Khariji leader Hakimullah Mehsud remained established in Tirah for a long period, from where he conducted operations across the entire tribal region, Peshawar, and other parts of the country.
Sources further said that Afghan nationals involved in several recent attacks have been found linked to the terror networks operating in Tirah Valley. The planning of the heinous 2014 Army Public School attack was also carried out by Khawarij in these same secret centres located in Tirah.
The number of terrorists in Tirah Valley is once again on the rise, sources said. Interests tied to the drug trade are also openly surfacing in the same region.
DG ISPR had earlier stated in a press conference that there is a deep connection between the drug trade and terrorism.
Sources warned that if the growing terror-drug nexus in Tirah and the resulting terrorism are not eliminated, terrorist incidents in Peshawar could increase.
The provincial government needs to take immediate and effective action; otherwise, there is a risk of a surge in attacks across Peshawar and the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources added.
Pak army intensifies demining operations against Khawarij-planted IEDs
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Army earlier intensified large-scale demining operations across the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to neutralize thousands of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines planted by Khawarij.
As per details, the khawarij had extensively mined roads, paths and villages in the former FATA region to disrupt military movements and spread terror.
After successful counter-terrorism operations cleared these areas of militants, the Army launched comprehensive demining drives to make the region safe for returning civilians.
Also read: Security Forces Gunned Down 22 Khawarij in Kurram IBO
