Amid an alarming rise in terrorist attacks targeting police, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and security forces in Bannu and Lakki Marwat, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have delivered major counter-terrorism successes over the past several days, killing key militant commanders and thwarting multiple infiltration attempts. Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said the force is fighting a tough but determined battle and assured that police and security agencies are inflicting significant losses on the terrorists through coordinated operations.
The IGP told that Bannu has been facing more attacks than any other district in recent weeks, with police personnel, CTD teams and army units repeatedly coming under fire. “We are conducting search and strike operations in these areas daily, and they are yielding very good results. Many important leaders of terrorists have been killed in the last few days,” he said. “It’s a tough fight, but we are fighting it every single day and the police and security forces will give good results.”
Zulfiqar Hameed added that steps were being taken to strengthen frontline units. “We are equipping the police with the best possible weapons and equipment, including bullet-proof vehicles, to protect them and raise their morale,” he said.
Senior officials said that Friday proved to be one of the most intense yet momentous days for Bannu Police and the CTD. Ten terrorists were killed and five others injured in a major engagement at Sheri Khel and Pahar Khel in Lakki Marwat when police units intercepted a militant group attempting to move towards settled areas. In another encounter in Nasar Khel, Lakki Marwat, police, the local peace committee and CTD jointly engaged militants, killing one terrorist and forcing others to flee under sustained fire.
A separate exchange took place in Haveid where police and CTD units confronted another group of militants. Meanwhile, in Domail, an operation by police, CTD and army was launched after militants killed three locals and attacked an armoured personnel carrier. Security personnel pursued the attackers into the village and, after an intense gun battle at the residence of a close relative of militant commander Aryana, six terrorists were killed at six different locations, while several important commanders sustained injuries.
Officials said the coordinated action across Bannu and Lakki Marwat has delivered a serious setback to militant networks operating in the southern districts. “All reinforcements of terrorists have stopped after the recent encounters by the brave cops and soldiers,” a senior official said, adding that the latest operations have disrupted command structures and denied safe movement to terror groups attempting to regroup in the region.
The police and security forces reaffirmed that intelligence-based operations would continue with full momentum until the last terrorist is eliminated and peace is fully restored in the affected districts.
