A fierce exchange of fire erupted between police, local peace committee members, and militants in the Takhti Khel area of Lakki Marwat, with reports indicating militant casualties as security forces and tribal volunteers mounted a joint response.
According to local sources, the gun battle was ongoing at the time of filing, with security personnel and armed peace committee members attempting to encircle the militants in and around Takhti Khel. The coordinated action reflects an evolving ground posture in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where community-backed resistance has increasingly supplemented formal counter-terror operations.
During the clash, Jandraz Khan, son of the head of the Takhti Khel peace committee, sustained injuries. A police official identified as Riaz Khan was also wounded in the exchange and shifted for medical treatment. Despite the injuries, sources described the joint police-tribal position as “operationally dominant,” with militants reportedly attempting to flee the cordoned zone.
The confrontation follows heightened militant activity in the same locality a day earlier, when militants carried out a drone strike, underscoring the expanding tactical spectrum being employed in the region. The use of unmanned aerial platforms, including quadcopters, has added a new layer of threat to already volatile districts in southern KP.
Security analysts note that Lakki Marwat and adjoining southern districts, particularly Bannu, remain among the most frequently targeted regions, witnessing repeated militant attacks ranging from ambushes and IED strikes to drone-enabled surveillance and assault attempts.
Yet the militant pressure has been met with stiffening local resistance.
Tribal formations, especially in Takhti Khel, have on multiple occasions acted as a frontline buffer alongside security forces. Community lashkars and peace committees have played a critical role in intelligence sharing, early warning dissemination, and at times direct armed engagement against militant incursions.
Just a day prior to the latest clash, a message circulated by the local peace committee warned residents about militant drone activity observed over two separate locations in Lakki Marwat. The advisory not only alerted civilians but also urged locals to remain vigilant and, where possible, assist in identifying hostile aerial movement.
The latest gunfight thus reflects not an isolated eruption of violence but part of a broader security pattern, one where militant group continue probing southern KP through hybrid tactics, while security forces and local tribal structures respond through joint containment.
Targeted & Clearance operations were expected to follow once the firing subsides, aimed at tracking fleeing militants and dismantling any temporary hideouts in the rugged terrain surrounding Takhti Khel.
