Security forces carried out a large-scale search and combing operation in several sensitive areas of Karak district as part of continuing efforts to strengthen security, enhance surveillance, and deny terrorists any opportunity to establish safe havens, police sources said on Tuesday.
The operation covered the areas of Ghol Banda, Panju Banda, and Dargah Shaheedan, where police, Elite Force personnel, Rapid Response Force (RRF) teams, and additional contingents conducted coordinated ground searches across multiple locations identified as vulnerable from a security perspective.
As part of the operation, security personnel searched abandoned buildings, isolated settlements, seasonal streams, rugged mountainous terrain, and other locations that could potentially be exploited as temporary hideouts or movement corridors by terrorist elements.
Modern drone technology was extensively employed to provide aerial surveillance over difficult terrain, allowing security teams to monitor inaccessible areas and identify any suspicious movement from above while ground units simultaneously carried out systematic searches and verification activities.
Police sources said the operation was aimed at enhancing situational awareness, maintaining a visible security presence, and preventing the movement of terrorists and other anti-state elements. Officials added that such intelligence-supported search operations form an important part of Pakistan’s preventive counterterrorism strategy, particularly in districts where the terrain can be exploited for concealment or transit.
During the operation, security personnel remained on high alert while monitoring suspected routes and locations considered sensitive from a law and order perspective. Authorities said search and combing activities help strengthen intelligence gathering, improve coordination among security agencies, and reassure local communities through an enhanced security presence.
Officials reiterated that preventive operations would continue across the district to ensure terrorists are denied freedom of movement and to maintain sustained pressure on networks attempting to regroup or facilitate acts of terrorism. They emphasized that law enforcement agencies remain committed to safeguarding public safety through proactive and intelligence-driven measures.
The latest operation comes as security forces and law enforcement agencies continue to intensify counterterrorism efforts across the country. Earlier, security forces eliminated a key Fitna al-Khawarij commander affiliated with the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar during an intelligence-based operation in Bajaur. In another incident, Bomb Disposal Unit Constable Khaista Rahman Khan embraced martyrdom after an explosive device detonated while he was attempting to neutralize it in Peshawar’s Hassan Khel area. Officials say such developments underscore both the evolving nature of the terrorist threat and the continued resolve of Pakistan’s security institutions to sustain intelligence-led and preventive counterterrorism operations nationwide.
