Cop martyred in Tank drone strike; Three abducted brothers found dead in Bannu

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A security personnel was martyred in a drone attack on a check post in Tank district, while three abducted brothers were found dead in Bannu and a separate drone strike targeted a school in North Waziristan, officials said on Thursday.

In Tank, Naik Nadeem embraced martyrdom after terrorists attacked a security forces check post late Wednesday night, according to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa—Dera Ismail Khan Region.

The CTD said the attack occurred at around 1:30am in Village Kiri Haider within the limits of Police Station SMA. Militants identified as “Fitna-Al-Khawarij” used a quadcopter to drop two explosive rounds on the post. The term is used by the state for the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Security forces secured the post and surrounding area after the strike. Naik Nadeem sustained critical injuries in the blast and later succumbed to his wounds. The CTD said monitoring and surveillance operations were ongoing, adding that further details were delayed due to communication issues in the area.

Authorities imposed a curfew in Jandola subdivision of Tank from 6:00am to 7:00pm on February 26, suspending all movement and closing Jandola Bazaar. Entry on the Kor Qila–Khargi to Jandola route, extending to the South Waziristan border, was strictly prohibited. Officials said only emergency travel with prior clearance would be allowed, warning that violations would invite legal action.

In a separate incident in Bannu, unidentified militants abducted three brothers from a mosque in Sokrri Hassan Khel during Taraweeh prayers on Wednesday night, Cantt Police Station SHO Wajidur Rehman said. Around 10 to 12 armed men reportedly entered the mosque and took the brothers to an undisclosed location.

The abducted men were identified as Saeed Akhtar, an employee of the Commissioner’s Office; Constable Amjad of the SDW Elite Force; and Constable Hazratullah of the SDW Commissioner Squad.

Early Thursday morning, the bodies of all three were found on Airport Road near Marwat Canal Road, close to Bannu Airport. After completing legal formalities, the bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem. Police launched a search operation to apprehend the attackers.

Regional Police Officer Bannu condemned the killings, stating that the attackers showed no respect for the sanctity of Ramazan, the mosque or Taraweeh prayers. Funeral prayers for the martyred officials were offered at Police Lines with full official honors, attended by senior civil and police officials. Officers laid floral wreaths and pledged that the sacrifices of the martyrs would not go in vain.

Meanwhile, a drone strike was reported at Government High School Shamazan Kot in the Miami Kabul Khel area of Tehsil Shewa in North Waziristan late Wednesday night. Local sources said the drone hit the school premises; however, no casualties were reported. Authorities have yet to release further details.

The incidents come amid a renewed surge in militant violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A day earlier, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said security forces had killed 34 militants in high-tempo operations across the two provinces.

Of these, 26 were linked to what the state terms Fitna al-Khawarij in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while eight described as Fitna al-Hindustan were neutralised in Sambaza, Zhob district.

According to the ISPR, an infiltration attempt near Hassan Khel in North Waziristan was also foiled, with an Afghan national affiliated with a militant network killed. Additional intelligence-based operations in Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mir Ali led to further militant casualties and the recovery of weapons and ammunition.

Officials have linked the recent spike in violence to cross-border militant sanctuaries. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said militants often retaliate after operations against their hideouts in Afghanistan, adding that security forces were on high alert amid intelligence warnings of potential attacks on urban centers, markets, and places of worship.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project indicates that militant incidents in Pakistan have risen sharply in recent years, underscoring mounting security challenges.

Earlier, Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes against alleged terrorist camps inside Afghanistan in what officials described as a retaliatory response to a series of deadly suicide attacks during Ramazan, including a bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad and blasts in Bajaur and Bannu.

Islamabad has said it possesses “conclusive evidence” linking the attacks to militants operating from Afghan territory, marking heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries.