A highly volatile situation is developing in the Nurar area of Bannu’s Miryan police station jurisdiction, where terrorists of the outlawed Fitna al-Khawarij have reportedly taken positions within the local population. According to police officials, Khawarij have dispersed across civilian areas, further complicating the response efforts.
District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kulachi, speaking to a private news channel, confirmed that an estimated 200 to 250 Khawarij are present in Nurar. “They repeatedly infiltrate the area and attempt to assert control, while we continue efforts to repel them,” Kulachi said.
The DPO highlighted the critical challenge posed by the presence of civilians, especially children, in these areas. “These Khawarij deliberately embed themselves within residential zones, not isolated locations where security forces could engage them with minimal risk. Our top concern is avoiding collateral damage,” he noted.
Kulachi added that authorities try to warn civilians in advance, urging shopkeepers to close businesses and parents to keep children indoors ahead of any potential operation. “If terrorists use civilians as human shields, our forces cannot retaliate in a way that would endanger innocent lives,” he said. “Unfortunately, when any unintended casualties occur, false narratives are pushed against police and security forces.”
The police are currently working to shut down the Nurar Bazaar, as intelligence reports suggest Khawarij are hiding in mosques, religious seminaries, and communal spaces, taking cover among civilians and students to provoke incidents that can be weaponized as propaganda against the state.
APCs Oppose Operations as Public Demand for Action Grows
The latest crisis in Bannu comes at a time when calls for decisive security operations are growing louder across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly from residents of the tribal districts who have endured repeated terror attacks in recent months.
Despite this rising public pressure, both the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition parties have recently held separate All Parties Conferences (APCs), and in a move widely seen as contrary to public sentiment, both conferences opposed new security operations.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has stated his administration will not permit military action or drone usage in KP, rejecting recent federal-level engagements with Afghan authorities as detached from the province’s ground realities. Yet, his government has remained silent on the current tense standoff in Nurar.
Meanwhile, opposition parties including PML-N, ANP, and PPP, who boycotted the government’s APC, also came out against security operations in their own forum. Their stance has raised eyebrows, particularly among residents of southern KP and merged districts, where communities are increasingly demanding strong and sustained action against the reemerging terror threat.
Bannu, and especially the Miryan police station, has been the target of repeated terrorist attacks in recent months, reflecting a sharp deterioration in the province’s security landscape.
