Police and security forces pursue fleeing suspects; Workers kidnapped in South Waziristan
Police and security forces carry out joint operation in Dera Ismail Khan PHOTO: EXPRESS
DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
Three militants were killed and several more wounded on Thursday in a joint operation by police and security forces in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, officials said.
Bannu Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan said the operations were carried out in Akbar Ali Khan Village, Asparka and Domel. He said the operation was supervised on the ground by senior officers including DIG Khan, Bannu District Police Officer Yasir Afridi and Brigadier Umair Niazi of 116 Brigade.
Domel is located along the North Waziristan highway, while the other areas are located above the boundaries of Kohat and Bannu. All locations are mountainous, officials said.
Police and security forces carry out joint operation in Dera Ismail Khan PHOTO: EXPRESS
The search operation continues to arrest the militants who fled the area. “The terrorists will be brought to justice and law and order will be maintained at all costs,” DIG Sajjad Khan said.
Federal Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi praised the police and security forces for what he described as a successful operation against militants belonging to “Fitna al-Khawarij” in the Bannu region. “I pay tribute to the police and security forces for sending three terrorists to hell,” Naqvi said in a statement.
He said the police and security forces had foiled the “nefarious designs” of the militants through a timely and coordinated operation and praised their professional capabilities. “The joint actions of the police and security forces for the establishment of peace in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are commendable,” he said.
Read: Five dead and 20 injured in suicide attack on committee member’s house in DI Khan: Rescue 1122
Naqvi added that, with the support of the nation, militants linked to Fitna al-Khawarij – the term Pakistani authorities use for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants – were being eliminated. “Terrorists will not be allowed to hide anywhere,” he said.
In a separate incident on Thursday, workers from Dera Ismail Khan were kidnapped in the Makki area of South Waziristan after unknown gunmen attacked an under-construction government checkpoint near the local market.
Police sources said two workers were injured in the attack, while four others were kidnapped. The injured were taken to a nearby medical center and the police began investigations to recover the kidnapped workers.
Security was tightened in and around Makki market following the incident, causing fear and panic among residents. Police said the kidnapped workers were reportedly from Dera Ismail Khan.
The region has witnessed a series of violent incidents in recent months. On December 24, five people were killed and 10 injured in a suicide blast at the residence of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of a local aman committee, during a wedding ceremony near Qureshi Mor in Dera Ismail Khan.
Read more: DI Khan records 111 terrorist attacks in five years and 71 police officers martyred
Last month, three police officers were killed in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in the district. In November last year, six police officers, including students, were martyred and 12 other police officers and one civilian were injured in a militant attack on the Police Training School, one of the deadliest incidents in recent years.
Dera Ismail Khan, situated at the junction of Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has long been a hotbed of militant violence. Since 2020, the district has recorded 111 attacks, killing 71 police officers and injuring 100 others.
Across Pakistan, overall violence increased more than 25% last year, with at least 3,187 deaths and 1,981 injuries among civilians, security personnel and criminals, according to the Center for Security Research and Studies.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was the worst affected province, accounting for nearly 68% of violence-related deaths and more than 62% of all incidents. In the province, deaths during security operations rose to 1,370, surpassing deaths from militant attacks, which stood at 795, highlighting the scale of ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
