Former aide to Taliban commander Mullah Nazir group killed in Lower South Waziristan

Former aide to Taliban commander Mullah Nazir group killed in Lower South Waziristan.

Key points

• AK Wazir Published August 23, 2026 Updated August 23, 2026 01: 36pm.
• Regarded as an influential Taliban commander in Lower South Waziristan, Nazir belonged to the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe and wielded considerable influence in Wana and the surrounding areas.
• On January 3, 2013, he was killed along with a number of of his associates in a US drone strike near Sarakanda in Birmal tehsil Lower South Waziristan.
• In November 2012, the commander was targeted in a suicide attack in Rustam Bazaar in Wana and sustained injuries.
• Relations between Mullah Nazir's group and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remained strained.

AK Wazir Published August 23, 2026 Updated August 23, 2026 01: 36pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

PESHAWAR: A former aide to the late Taliban commander Mullah Nazir's group was killed and another person injured by unidentified gunmen in the Doag area of Wana tehsil in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lower South Waziristan, police and rescue authorities stated on Sunday.

According to Wana Circle's District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah, Muhammad Khalid – a former aide to Mullah Nazir's group – and another person were travelling in their vehicle from Rustam Bazaar Wana to their home in Doag on Saturday evening when unidentified armed men opened fire on them near a cemetery. Both men sustained bullet wounds in the attack.

Rescue authorities stated Khalid was critically injured, succumbing to his injuries while being taken to Dera Ismail Khan for further medical treatment.

Notably, the second injured man was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana, where he is receiving treatment, according to the hospital's medical superintendent.

In practice, the DSP remarked Khalid had previously served as an aide to Mullah Nazir's group. Nevertheless, police have not yet disclosed the motive behind the attack or identified the gunmen.

According to the police, an initial report has been registered and an investigation into the incident has been introduced. "Investigators are examining different aspects of the attack and efforts are under way to identify and arrest those involved, " they continued.

According to various reports, he reached a peace agreement with the administration in 2007. His group additionally carried out operations against Uzbek and other foreign terrorists in areas inhabited by his tribe in Lower South Waziristan.

Relations between Mullah Nazir's group and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remained strained. He was additionally noted to have resisted attacks against the administration and security forces in areas under his influence.

On January 3, 2013, he was killed along with a number of of his associates in a US drone strike near Sarakanda in Birmal tehsil Lower South Waziristan. After his death, reports stated Bahawal Khan was appointed as the new commander of his group.

Mullah Nazir's group, and individuals associated with its former network, continued to be mentioned in connection with developments in South Waziristan at various times. Nevertheless, police have yet to establish whether Khalid's previous association with the group was linked to Saturday's attack.

For context, the motive behind the shooting remains unclear and is being investigated, police remarked.

In practice, the latest incident comes against the backdrop of growing security worries in Lower South Waziristan. According to local sources, there has been a significant growth in terrorist activity in the area over the past one and a half years, with incidents attributed to the banned TTP and the TTP Gul Bahadur group reportedly increasing.

Residents have witnessed a rise in explosions, targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion, killings of civilians and attacks on police and security forces, causing serious concern among the local population.

Last week, a commission agent was killed and a woman was injured when an armed man opened fire inside a Benazir Income Backing Programme (BISP) centre in Azam Warsak Bazaar in Birmal tehsil.

In an encounter earlier this month, a group of terrorists attempted to attack security forces' posts in Azam Warsak area in South Waziristan. According to The military's media wing, eight terrorists were killed in the incident.

Residents have pressed the administration and law-enforcement agencies to take practical and effective measures to improve the security situation and ensure the protection of lives and property.

While local residents have pressed effective measures to prevent such incidents, the latest shooting incident has once again triggered concern over the law and order situation in the area.

Taken together, the developments around former aide to Taliban commander Mullah Nazir group killed in Lower South point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.