PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police arrested a key militant commander of the newly-established Ittehadul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) during an intelligence-based operation carried out in Pipal Bazaar of Bannu, officials said.

The officials said that the arrested militant Danyal allias Baghi belonged to Bannu and was associated with IMP — a group recently established in collaboration between the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Gandapur (TTG) groups.

A statement issued by CTD said that Baghi had confessed to carrying out nine major attacks, including an assault on Miramshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali Khan in December 2025 in which Mr Khan was martyred and his gunmen were injured while his car was also set on fire.

In his confessional video statement, Baghi said that he had also abducted several persons and murdered former SHO Bannu, Abid Wazir, besides abducting and killing three leaders of Lakki Marwat Peace Committee.

The arrested militant commander also confessed to kidnapping two FC [not clarified whether it was Frontier Corps or Federal Constabulary] personnel and police officials.

“The foreign-backed militant admitted his role in the murder of polio officer Malik Ishaq and his gunman. Investigations also revealed that the accused was involved in conducting surveillance of sensitive institutions and providing photographs and information of police officials to terrorist networks,” the statement said.

The arrested militant disclosed that he, along with his accomplices, had set up illegal checkpoints in Pipal Bazaar, Bannu, and other areas, adding that he was an educated person and had an intermediate degree.

The official statement said that the militant commander was being interrogated, and raids were being conducted to arrest other facilitators.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026