CTD confirms Daesh network behind Peshawar suicide attack

Published on: September 28, 2025 5:22 AM

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Saturday announced a significant breakthrough in the investigation into May 11 suicide attack on a police vehicle in Peshawar’s Chamkani area, identifying the bomber as an Azerbaijani foreign national named Imran Galiyev. CTD sources indicate that Galiyev, who is suspected of belonging to a Daesh network, arrived in Islamabad on April 28, 2024, but no record of his exit from the country exists. The primary objective of the attack, which occurred three kilometers away from target, was a prominent religious-political leader, confirmed to be JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was addressing a rally at that time. The investigation revealed that Galiyev was supported by an extensive domestic network spanning Karak, Peshawar, and Quetta. These accomplices provided the terrorist with accommodation, financial assistance, and, crucially, fake identity cards. The CTD has successfully acted against this support structure, arresting the network responsible for supplying fake identity documents in Kohat. Financial tracing exposed that operation was funded through a mix of traditional and modern transfer methods. Millions of rupees were channeled to terrorists using local services like Easypaisa and illicit hawala system. Moreover, the CTD tracked a cryptocurrency transaction worth $202 USD on the Tron blockchain, gathering vital intelligence from exchanges, including Binance and Bybit. This specific lead on financial trail through cryptocurrency highlights evolving methods of terrorist financing and confirms international dimension of Daesh network operating within the region. Pakistan has lately been witnessing an uptick in terrorist activities, mainly in KP and Balochistan. In November 2022, the TTP, after breaking a ceasefire deal with the government, had vowed to escalate attacks against the security forces, the police, and other law enforcement agencies’ personnel. In August, terrorists in Lakki Marwat had carried out a series of militant attacks, killing three soldiers and a woman while injuring three others, including two soldiers.