Security forces and local tribesmen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district have tightened a major cordon around India-backed TTP militants, reflecting the growing unity of local communities against terrorism. According to initial reports, three militants have been killed, two arrested, and ten others remain completely surrounded.
Sources said the militants had returned late last night to retrieve the bodies of their associates who were killed in an attack on the Ahmadzai police station. Members of the Hathikhel tribal lashkar, already lying in wait, intercepted them and alerted security forces, who swiftly reinforced the cordon.
Seven of the militants are now holed up in a nearby madrassa, while three have taken refuge in a school. The three who were killed and the two arrested were engaged during the initial exchange.
Sources confirmed the militants are fully encircled, and a joint clearance operation by security forces and the Hathikhel tribe is under way. Locals across Bannu and the wider Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region have reiterated their support for ongoing counter terrorism efforts, stressing that the people of the province stand united against the menace of terrorism.
A day or two ago, all four clans in a grand jirga decided to form Aman Committees and an Aman Lashkar each, and the current ongoing development proves that this has been a good decision.
