Peshawar, February 22, 2026: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has foiled a major terror plot with the arrest of an alleged female suicide attacker from Dera Ismail Khan, officials said on Sunday.
According to the CTD, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams conducted a raid on the Sheikh Yousuf camp, where the suspect was apprehended. During initial interrogation, the woman reportedly confessed to having received prolonged training from a deceased foreign commander, Shah Wali alias Tariq Kochi.
Security personnel recovered a commando bag, a pistol, cartridges, and two mobile phones from the suspect. Officials said the phones were being used to maintain contact with a banned militant organisation. Perfume was also found in her bag, allegedly intended to mask the smell of gunpowder.
Investigators said the suspect admitted she had recently agreed to carry out a suicide attack and was awaiting a suicide jacket and target details from another foreign terrorist commander identified as Asim. She has since been shifted to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.
The arrest comes a day after security forces killed five terrorists belonging to the India-backed Fitna al-Khwarij during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district. During the operation, Lieutenant Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz embraced shahadat along with Sepoy Karamat Shah after militants targeted their convoy.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border terrorist activity since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which share borders with Afghanistan.
Last month, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, revealed that law enforcement agencies conducted a total of 75,175 intelligence-based operations across the country in 2025.
Providing a regional breakdown, he said 14,658 operations were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other parts of Pakistan. He added that 5,397 terrorist incidents were recorded nationwide last year, with KP accounting for 3,811 incidents, Balochistan 1,557, and only 29 incidents reported elsewhere in the country.
