One civilian was killed and a policeman injured in an armed clash between security personnel and militants affiliated with the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the remote mountainous region of Matta tehsil in Swat district on Wedneday, police said.
According to officials, the firefight erupted when armed militants attacked a police patrol in the hilly terrain of Matta, a region that has witnessed sporadic militant activity in recent years. “One person has been killed and a police constable sustained bullet injuries during the exchange of fire,” a police official confirmed.
The identity of the deceased civilian has not been released. Police sources said that the area was cordoned off immediately and reinforcements were rushed to the scene as gunfire between the militants and law enforcement personnel continued into the evening.
“A heavy police contingent has been dispatched to the area to neutralize the threat,” the official added, saying efforts were underway to drive out the attackers and secure the region. Authorities have stepped up surveillance and launched a search operation in the surrounding villages amid fears of more militant hideouts in the mountainous belt. The latest incident has triggered concerns of a possible resurgence of militant activity in parts of Swat, where the security situation had largely improved over the past decade following extensive military operations.
