Armed men killed at least six people, including Haji Dawood, a key leader of a state-backed militia referred to locally as a 'death squad,' in the Paroom area of Pakistan's Panjgur district between 4:15:50 PM and 5:15:40 PM UTC on February 23, 2026, according to local sources cited by I_SaeedBuzdar on X. Police confirmed the assailants set two vehicles on fire in the nearby Dastak area, with further details awaited. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi stated that recent TTP attacks from Afghan soil prompted Pakistan's successful retaliatory operation, warning of further strikes if threats continue, as reported by PakTVGlobal on X during the reporting window. This follows Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province earlier on February 23, as covered in prior reports. Russian Foreign Ministry data shared by ForumStrategic on X reiterated up to 23,000 militants operating in Afghanistan, including 5,000-7,000 TTP fighters attacking Pakistan, 3,000 ISKP militants targeting Pakistan and Iran, 400-1,500 Al-Qaeda militants, BLA, and JuA groups. These estimates align with Taliban rejections of the figures earlier on February 23, per previous coverage from New Delhi. The Panjgur attack occurs amid ongoing border tensions, with Taliban outreach to Pakistan after Nangarhar airstrikes remaining unanswered, conditioned on anti-terrorism measures, according to Anas Mallick's prior X post. India's national zero-tolerance counter-terrorism policy announced earlier today authorizes preemptive action, as stated by Arun Pudur on X.
