Police and security forces track 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 others injured on Thursday in a joint operation by police and security forces in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa state, officials said.
Bannu Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan said 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 lies along the North Waziristan Highway, while the other areas are located above the Kohat and Bannu borders. All locations are mountainous, officials said.
Police and security forces carry out joint operation in Dera Ismail Khan PHOTO: EXPRESS
A 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 Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi congratulated police and security forces for what he described as a successful operation against militants belonging to “Fitna al-Khawarij” in Bannu area. “I pay tribute to the police and security forces for sending three terrorists to hell,” Naqvi said in a statement.
He said police and security forces had thwarted the militants’ “nefarious designs” through a timely and coordinated operation and praised their professional capabilities. “The joint actions of police and security forces for establishing peace in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are commendable,” he said.
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Naqvi added that with the nation’s support, militants linked to Fitna al-Khawarij – a 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 another incident on Thursday, workers of Dera Ismail Khan were kidnapped in Makki area of South Waziristan after unknown gunmen attacked a government checkpoint under construction near the local market.
Police sources said two workers were injured in the attack, while four others were kidnapped. The injured were transferred to a nearby medical center and police launched an investigation to recover the kidnapped workers.
Security was beefed up in and around Makki Market following the incident, triggering fear and panic among residents. Police said the abducted workers were believed to be from Dera Ismail Khan.
The region has seen a series of violent incidents in recent months. On December 24, five people were killed and ten others injured in a suicide attack at the residence of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of a local aman committee, during a wedding ceremony near Qureshi Mor in Dera Ismail Khan.
Learn more: DI Khan records 111 terrorist attacks in five years, 71 police officers martyred
Last month, three police officers were killed in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in the neighborhood. In November last year, six police officers, including trainees, were martyred and 12 other police officers and a civilian injured in a militant attack on the police training school, one of the deadliest incidents in recent years.
Dera Ismail Khan, located 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, resulting in the deaths of 71 police officers and 100 injuries.
In Pakistan, overall violence increased by more than 25 percent 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-hit province, accounting for nearly 68% of violence-related deaths and more than 62% of all incidents. In the province, the death toll from security operations rose to 1,370, surpassing deaths from militant attacks, which totaled 795, underscoring the scale of ongoing counterterrorism operations.
