The group is suspected of being involved in attacks using improvised explosive devices targeting Chinese nationals.
PESHAWAR:
Three suspected terrorists were killed, while three policemen were martyred, in a joint targeted operation of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Elite Force and district police in Kabalgram area of Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to KP CTD spokesperson Muhammad Ali.
The intelligence-based operation was launched in a remote mountainous area of Kabalgram following confirmed reports of the presence of members of Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), which the CTD described as a serious threat to law enforcement and major national projects, the spokesperson said.
Fitna al-Khawarij is a term used by the state to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the CTD spokesperson, the terrorists were hiding in natural caves with alleged local complicity. He said the group had previously been involved in vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attacks targeting Chinese nationals and posed a continuing threat to the strategic road corridor near the Silk Road and associated Chinese projects.
Security forces encountered the terrorists as they advanced towards their hideouts, triggering an intense exchange of fire. Three terrorists were killed, including Noor Islam alias Salman alias Khog Bacha, a resident of Kabalgram and alleged leader of the group, who was carrying a bounty of Rs5 million.
One terrorist has still not been identified, while another is believed to have detonated an explosive to avoid arrest.
Read: Three police officers martyred in Operation Shangla
After these deaths, other terrorists took refuge on a slope, making direct targeting difficult. As CTD and Elite Force personnel advanced to apprehend them, accomplices allegedly launched attacks using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and automatic weapons to facilitate their escape, spokesman Muhammad Ali said. Security forces responded with retaliatory fire, repelling the assault.
During the operation, three policemen – LHC Maqbool Ahmed (No. 438), LHC Fida Hussain and LHC Saeedur Rehman – were martyred. An Elite Force official was injured and is receiving treatment.
KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said the takedown of the network had prevented a planned threat to strategic infrastructure in the region and a search operation was still underway. He also paid tribute to the fallen personnel, saying that the KP Police had always made sacrifices in the line of duty.
Chinese nationals involved in regional infrastructure projects have long been targets of attacks. On March 26, 2024, six people, including five Chinese engineers, were killed in a suicide attack in Besham, located 18.8 km from Shangla.
Learn more: At least two dead and 17 injured in IED explosion in Bannu
An explosives-laden vehicle parked on the side of the road exploded as a convoy carrying Chinese engineers from Islamabad to the Dasu hydroelectric project site passed by.
This was the second attack targeting Chinese workers at the Dasu project.
In July 2021, at least nine engineers working on the Dasu project were killed in a suicide attack in the Kohistan region. Pakistan then accused Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies of being involved, although no group has publicly claimed responsibility.
