Bannu | Pakistan

Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali and two cops were among four martyred after the official’s vehicle came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Tuesday. Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan confirmed the number of casualties. “The attack was sudden, and after opening fire on the vehicle, the assailants also set it on fire,” he said. The DIG said the area was cordoned off after the incident and a search was underway to locate the attackers. “Security forces and police are conducting a joint operation. Security in the area has been put on high alert and investigations are being carried out from every angle,” he said. Meanwhile, Bilal Saqib, the assistant commissioner’s secretary, told the media that the incident took place at around 10am. He said the assistant commissioner was on his way to appear before a court when he was “ambushed” near Mamash Khel’s Masoomabad. Giving details about the deaths, he said that two constables and a civilian, who was working in the fields, were martyr...

At least four persons, including two policemen and North Waziristan Assistant Commissioner Shah Waliullah, were martyred on Tuesday after gunmen targeted the latter's vehicle on Miranshah Road in Bannu district, officials said.

Security forces killed twenty-two Indian-sponsored Khwarij during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district.

Twenty-two India-sponsored terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday. A statement by the ISPR said that security forces conducted the IBO on Monday, based on the reported presence of khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, 22 khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement said. It added that a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists in the area. The ISPR also said that the counter-terrorism campaign by security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue with full pace to “wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute t...

Security forces eliminated eight terrorists during a joint intelligence-based operation in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Saturday.

Security forces killed eight terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, said a statement by the military’s media wing on Saturday. The IBO was conducted on November 21, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on the reported presence of khawarij belonging to Indian-proxy Fitna-al-Khawarij. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the “Indian-sponsored *khawarij”*, as per ISPR, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces, LEAs and target-killing of innocent civilians.” “The operation underscores the strengthened collaborative efforts between [LEAs] and security forces, who have significantly intensified intelligence-driven operations in the region,” said ISPR. “These meticulously coordinated and synchronised security measures are designed to constrict the ope...

A terrorist plot to blow up a bridge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district was foiled on Saturday. According to an official statement from KP police, terrorists attempted to blow up Dawa bridge in Bannu’s Basia Khel area using an improvised explosive device (IED). It said that the plot was thwarted due to timely action by the Bannu police bomb disposal squad. It said that the terrorists had attached the IED, a bucket full of 8-10 kilogrammes of explosive material, to the central pillar of the bridge. “The local people praised the timely action taken by Bannu police,” the statement said. It also quoted Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan as saying that it was necessary to “eliminate elements inconveniencing the public by destroying infrastructure”. He asserted that such elements do not deserve any mercy. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The spike in incidents followed the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ending a ceasefire with the gover...

Seven people were killed when a peace committee office was attacked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, police said on Friday. Police officials told Dawn that one among those killed was a ‘good Talib’ — a term used to refer to a former militant who has surrendered to the state — and the rest were his relatives. In their complaint to the police, the victims’ family has maintained that the attack was a result of a family feud. However, police say the family has taken the stance to avoid another potential attack carried out in retaliation. The first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered at Havaid police station under Sections 302 (punishment for intentional murder), 324 (attempt of intentional murder), 149 (every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in prosecution of common objective) and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The FIR said that the suspects barged into the victims’ baithak (guesthouse), opened fire on them and fled. Thre...

Seven people were killed and one injured in a terrorist attack on the peace committee office in Bannu.

Terrorists’ bid to blow up a bridge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district failed on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated prematurely while it was being installed, police said. Amir Khan, the spokesperson for the District Police Office in Bannu, told Dawn that two terrorists intended to blow up Doghoda Bridge. He said that one of them died on the spot when the IED detonated prematurely while it was being installed. The other terrorist was injured and escaped the scene, he added. The spokesperson said police had reached the spot and were collecting evidence. Meanwhile, the process for the identification of the dead terrorist had also been initiated, he said. A search operation was also under way to track down the other terrorist, he added. Today’s incident comes around a month after law enforcers foiled an attack by terrorists at a police station in Bannu. According to police, terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP...

Five militants were killed in a joint operation conducted by the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the bordering areas of Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

LAKKI MARWAT: Three people, including a minor child, were killed and four suffered injuries in a quadcopter strike in the Sardikhel Janikhel area of Bannu district on Tuesday. A police official said the bodies and the injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital. He identified the deceased as Habibullah, 5, a resident of Malikhel Janikhel, and Amjad Ali, 35, and Irfanullah, 35, residents of Sardikhel Janikhel, and said the injured included Rukhniaz, 35, Naheedullah, 24, Mohammad Rauf, 33, and Irshadullah, 35, all residents of Janikhel. Similar quadcopter attacks were carried out by terrorists against police installations and civilians in the district in the recent past. Terrorists kill police official; attack on police station repulsed On July 31, six security personnel were injured in a quadcopter attack on Miryan police station amid an operation against terrorists in the Nurar area. In another quadcopter strike that took place four months ago, a woman was killed and three others were wounded i...

Six cops were injured on Monday when gunmen opened fire at the North Waziristan district police officer’s (DPO) vehicle near Bannu district’s Mamash Khel town, an official said. Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan confirmed the details to Dawn, adding that the incident took place on Miranshah road, which connects Bannu and North Waziristan. “Armed men open fire at the vehicle of North Waziristan’s DPO,” RPO Khan said. “The DPO remained unhurt,” he added. He further said the injured police personnel were taken to the Bannu District Headquarters Hospital. “The unidentified attackers have hidden in nearby areas and a search operation is underway [to trace them],” the Bannu RPO said. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The past few months have seen an escalation in attacks on law enforcement agencies, with police forces in K...

Law enforcers foiled an attack by terrorists at a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday, police said. Police said in a statement that terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — tried to attack the Baka Khel police station from a distance. However, it added, police personnel opened fire on them after detecting their movement using the “latest technology”. As a result, the statement said, the terrorists couldn’t come near the police station and fled. According to police, “residents from nearby areas also fired at the attackers” and helped law enforcers. The statement did not mention any loss of lives or property in the incident, which was earlier confirmed by Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan. He told Dawn.com that the attackers had used a hand grenade to target the police station. “Unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade toward the police station, but it fell at a distance, causing no damage,” h...

Three terrorists were killed after they attempted to attack a police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu late last night, police said in a statement on Saturday. KP police said that three terrorists belonging to the Fitna-al-Khawarij had made an unsuccessful attempt to target the Mazanga police checkpost last night. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Police said the terrorists were attempting to attack the Mazanga police checkpost using a rickshaw loaded with explosive material. During this attempt, they were intercepted by police officials who tried to stop them due to their suspicious activity, the police said. When they did not stop, officials opened fire which caused the rickshaw to explode, the statement said, adding that all three terrorists were killed while police personnel remained safe. The explosion caused minor damage to nearby houses, it added. According to the statement, Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajj...

A Frontier Corps (FC) hawaldar was martyred and an FC soldier was injured when a police and security forces convoy was “attacked by terrorists” on the Miranshah Road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday, according to police. Kashif Nawaz Khan, the spokesperson for Bannu police, confirmed these details to Dawn.com. He said an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the area while a police team and security personnel were conducting a search operation, following which “terrorists attacked the security personnel with weapons”. “The IED was planted near the Baran Shah bridge on the Miranshah road,” the spokesperson said, adding that “Hawaldar Dost Muhammad Khan was martyred and soldier Shamim Khan injured in the incident.” The spokesperson said police and security personnel repulsed the attack and “forced the terrorists to flee toward the mountains”. He further stated that another search operation was launched in the area after the incident. Four children injured The police spokesperson also sh...

In a major intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Thursday, two terrorists were killed including one reported to be the mastermind behind the killing of four officials in April, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in a statement A press release by the CTD issued yesterday said that it had “killed two most-wanted terrorists during a successful intelligence-based operation in Bannu district”. “The mastermind of the martyrdom of four CTD officials is also among those killed,” it added. According to the press release, the CTD had received confidential information that terrorists belonging to the banned organisation Fitna-al-Khawarij were planning a “major terrorist operation” on Company Road within the limits of Domail police station. Fitnah-al Khawarij is the term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Per the statement, the CTD’s Special (SWAT) team surrounded the area immediately along with the district police. “Upon seeing the operation...

Four government officials, including two high school teachers and two workers from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), were allegedly abducted from different localities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, officials said on Tuesday. Per the police, the teachers were “abducted” from GHS Zindi Musa Khan in Bannu’s Mandati Naika Zyarat area, which falls within the limits of Hoid police station. “The first incident occurred within the limits of Hoid police station, which is under threat of militants,” District Police Officer (DPO) of Bannu Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com. “In the past few months, the police station in Hoid has been attacked several times by militants.” DPO Kulachi added that unknown armed men had taken the school teachers to unidentified locations. Among the abductees were the headmaster of the school, who was a resident of Nekam Kaki, as well as a senior school teacher, who was a resident of Bannu, Bannu police spokesperson Kashif Nawaz told Dawn.com. Nawaz added that both teachers ...

A soldier was martyred and another injured when unknown assailants opened fire on them near Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday, according to the police. Recently, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of terrorist attacks, particularly targeting police personnel. Spokesperson for Bannu Police Kashif Nawaz told Dawn.com, “A security personnel was killed and another was injured when they were attacked by unknown assailants near the Ayub fuel station on Miranshah road.” He added that the body and the injured were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu, while a police team was dispatched to the site of the incident to collect information. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowed to target security forces, the police, and other law enforceme...

A police constable was shot dead by unknown assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Thursday morning, police said. Bannu’s District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com that the incident occurred in the Bacha Khan Chowk area of the district’s Domel tehsil. “The police constable was on his way to arrive for duty when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire on him,” Kulachi said. The DPO added that the constable, Qadus Khan, was critically injured and taken to the Khaleefa Gul Nawaz (KGN) hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The spokesperson for the Bannu regional police, Khanzala Quraishi, told Dawn.com that the constable was the guard of the Wazir sub-divisional police officer. “After the incident, the station house officer of the Domel area went to the crime scene along with a team to investigate the incident,” Qureshi said. DPO Kulachi, meanwhile, said that an operation against the ‘terrorists’ was underway in various locations of the district to eliminate the threat...