- 10 kg of IEDs recovered, safely defused during the operation.
- An injured police officer was hospitalized for treatment.
- The operation followed the killing of 23 terrorists in KP province.
Eight terrorists were killed and several others injured while a cop was martyred during a joint intelligence operation by the police and the Counter Terrorism Department in Bannu, the Police Central Office said on Saturday.
During the operation, carried out in Thana Miryan jurisdiction of Bannu, a 10-kilogram improvised explosive device (IED) was also recovered and safely defused by security forces, the CPO said.
A police officer was also injured during the operation and was transferred to hospital for medical treatment.
The operation took place days after security forces killed 23 Indian-sponsored terrorists, including a network leader, during intelligence operations in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Security forces carried out a series of IBOs in Datta Khel, Spinwam and Bannu and killed 23 Fitna al-Khwarij terrorists, including network leader Jan Meer alias Toor Saqib, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.
The Bannu operation against the terrorists began early in the morning, and modern drones and advanced surveillance technology were used to monitor the movements of the militants during the raid, the CPO added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed said operations against Fitna al-Khawarij and terrorists would continue.
He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police remains at the forefront for the protection of public life and property, and every enemy attack will be met with a decisive response.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in cross-border terrorist incidents, particularly in the border provinces of KP and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its soil from being used by terrorist organizations to carry out attacks inside its territory.
However, the Afghan Taliban regime has refused to act against terrorist groups involved in countless attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year, months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025, following clashes triggered by unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban regime at several border points.
Despite numerous rounds of negotiations, the two countries have so far failed to reach an agreement due to the reluctance of the Afghan Taliban regime to take action against terrorist groups operating from its soil.
