Elsewhere, the spokesperson said FC personnel arrested a local leader of the banned BLA in Sheikhri area of Kalat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
DERA ISMAIL KHAN/RAWALPINDI:
Four members of a local peace committee were killed on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen ambushed their car in Bannu district of the volatile Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, a day after six policemen were killed in a bomb blast in neighboring Tank district.
The security situation in KP, which shares a long border with Afghanistan, remains precarious due to incessant infiltration of terrorists from across the border. Officials say Afghanistan continues to serve as a safe haven for terrorist groups of all kinds.
“Khawarij’s attackers were waiting for the vehicle carrying the peace committee members in Huwed area of Bannu. They opened fire as soon as the vehicle approached, killing all four occupants instantly,” a senior police official told The Express PK Press Club.
The term Khawarij is used to refer to fighters of the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), officially referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij to highlight the group’s extremist, regressive and exclusionary ideology.
The official said a father and son were among the victims, adding that an investigation into the incident had been launched.
Local sources said members of the region’s peace committee took up arms in self-defense in response to ongoing terrorist threats, a development that has contributed to increasing tensions in and around Bannu in recent months.
Attacks on members of the KP peace committee have increased in frequency and intensity as terrorist groups view them as government collaborators. In November 2025, seven people were killed when a peace committee office was targeted in Bannu. Earlier, in October, a member of the peace committee was killed in a clash with militants in the Ahmadzai region.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, expressing deep sadness over the martyrdom of the four peace committee members. He offered his condolences to the bereaved families and reaffirmed the government’s determination to eliminate terrorism from the province.
“The cowardly actions of terrorists cannot weaken the resolve of the nation,” he said, adding that all attempts to disrupt peace would be thwarted.
Terrorist incidents have increased in KP and Balochistan since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, with KP responsible for more than 80% of attacks, followed by Balochistan, where officials say Indian-backed groups are waging a proxy war.
Meanwhile, Army media said four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Kalat district of Balochistan. According to the ISPR, the operation was carried out against militants belonging to the Indian proxy group Fitna al Hindustan.
“During the operation, security forces actually attacked the hideout of the terrorists and after an intense exchange of fire, four Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the statement said, adding that arms and ammunition were also recovered.
The ISPR said disinfection operations were underway and promised that the anti-terrorism campaign led by Azm-e-Istehkam would continue in full swing to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
