DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
A massive hunt was underway in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to recover at least nine civilian factory workers, who were kidnapped by terrorists for ransom in Kabal Khel area, said Thursday the police.
According to police, terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Khwarij – the term used to refer to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – kidnapped 17 civilian employees of a government project on Darra Tang Road in the morning. The terrorists took away the hostages and set fire to the staff van, they added.
“Around 9am, 17 workers, including a driver, involved in a mining project were traveling in a minibus when they were arrested and taken away at gunpoint by men on Dara Tang road in Lakki Marwat” , said Shahid Marwat, spokesperson for Lakki. Marwat district police told a media outlet.
The kidnapped officials include senior administrative officer Hafiz Bashir, senior technicians Ehsanullah, Safiullah and Habibullah, technician Moazullah Anwar, computer operators Hazrat Ali, Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Israr, junior assistants Rehan, Sikandar, Aqeel, Noman, goalkeeper Riaz and others.
Security and law enforcement agencies took immediate action and have so far recovered eight kidnapped workers, according to police. They added that a massive operation was underway to recover the remaining workers.
“Eight of the kidnapped workers have been recovered, of which three sustained minor injuries,” the police spokesperson said, adding that an operation involving police and security personnel was underway in the district to recover the workers. remaining.
Doctors at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital confirmed treating three recovered hostages. Following the incident, announcements were made from mosques in various villages in the district protesting the incident.
The kidnapping took place as the KP Anti-Terrorism Department (CTD) said its personnel killed three terrorists belonging to a TTP affiliate during an intelligence operation in Malang Adda area. They identified the dead as Shafeeq Nawaz, Muhammad Mujahid alias Jihadyar and Fidaur Rehman.
(WITH NEWS DESK ENTRY)
