A Bangladeshi youth has been killed while fighting for the banned militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan. The deceased, identified as Faisal Hossain (21/22), hailed from Choto Dudhkhali village in Kalikapur Union under Madaripur Sadar upazila.
According to Pakistani and Bangladeshi sources, Faisal was among 17 TTP members killed last Friday night in a counter-terror operation by Pakistani security forces in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Family in Shock
Faisal’s elder brother Arman Hossain (Arman Morol) confirmed his death after seeing photographs circulating online, including one where Faisal was pictured holding a weapon. Speaking to The Dissent, Arman said Faisal had left Bangladesh in March 2024, claiming he was going to work at a Hijama (cupping therapy) center in Dubai. The family last spoke to him before Eid-ul-Azha, after which communication was lost.
When news of his death reached his village home on Monday, the family was devastated. Faisal’s mother, Chaina Begum (45), who believed her son was working in Dubai, collapsed in grief upon hearing that he had died in Pakistan. “My son told me, ‘Ma, I am fine here. I will come back soon.’ But he never returned,” she cried, surrounded by grieving relatives and neighbors.
Faisal’s father, Abdul Awal, works as an electrician, while his elder brother Arman is employed as a deliveryman. Family members described Faisal as religious, noting he prayed regularly and had once sold prayer caps, attar, and tasbeeh at religious gatherings in Dhaka. His grandfather, Shukkur Morol, lamented: “Faisal was the best among my grandchildren. I cannot believe he died this way. Those who misled him must be brought to justice.”
Relatives and locals have demanded that Faisal’s body be repatriated to Bangladesh for burial.
Traces of Bangladesh Found in Pakistan
Pakistani journalist Jawad Yousufzai shared images from the operation site, stating that a Bangladeshi ID card, cash, and documents were recovered from one of the dead fighters, later identified as Faisal.
A TTP-linked Bangladeshi fighter also confirmed Faisal’s death by posting his photograph on Facebook.
Growing Concerns of Radicalization
This is not the first case of a Bangladeshi joining the TTP. On 27 April 2024, another Bangladeshi, Ahmed Zubair, was killed in a Pakistani military airstrike in North Waziristan. According to The Dissent, at least four Bangladeshis have died fighting alongside the TTP over the past year. Following these incidents, Bangladeshi police arrested two individuals in July for suspected links with the group.
Local police in Madaripur confirmed awareness of Faisal’s death. Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime & Investigation) Jahangir Alam told Prothom Alo: “If Faisal’s family seeks legal assistance, the police will help. If arrangements exist to bring back the body, we will cooperate. At the same time, those misleading youths into militancy under distorted interpretations of religion are under investigation.”
Source Credits:
- The Dissent, 28 September 2025 (first to report the story)
- Prothom Alo, 29 September 2025 (follow-up coverage and family reactions)
