Former Afghan Soldier Arrested in Tirah Valley Over Terror Plot, Say KP Police

PESHAWAR: Security forces have arrested a former Afghan National Army soldier in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley for allegedly planning terrorist attacks in Pakistan, police said on Wednesday. The suspect, Hikmatullah alias Hamza, was picked up on November 7 in a joint intelligence-based operation by security forces and police, Additional Inspector General Abbas Ahsan told a press conference in Peshawar.

Ahsan, who addressed the media alongside Regional Development Council spokesperson Mehmood Jan Babar, said the arrest followed a tip-off from intelligence sources, backed by human intelligence and electronic surveillance. The suspect, son of Noor Mohammad, hails from Mangryal village in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Police say he served in the Afghan National Army before joining militant organisations, including the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, and has allegedly confessed to carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.

Suicide bomber trained, second suspect still at large

According to the police, Hikmatullah trained a young man named Akrama as a suicide bomber at a madrasa near Jalalabad, and had tried to attack a security forces’ post before he was tracked down. He is also accused of maintaining contacts with militants across the border as well as inside Pakistan.

A second suspect, named by police as Akram, the alleged would-be suicide bomber, is still being tracked. All of the claims remain police allegations made at a press conference — no charge has been proved against the arrested man and no trial has begun.

Attacks at a 12-year high

Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in cross-border militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. September 2026 recorded the highest monthly number of militant attacks in the country in 12 years.