Heavy fighting continues between police committee and militants in Bannu

BANNU: Heavy fighting was underway on Saturday morning between a police peace committee and militants in the Barakzai Akhundkhel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, with casualties reported as the operation continued.

Medical Teaching Institution Bannu spokesperson Mohammad Nauman Khattab said injured personnel and one deceased individual had been brought to the District Headquarters Hospital.

three injured policemen and a martyr were brought

Khattab added that the deceased was a retired member of the Federal Constabulary. No details had been released regarding casualties among the militants while the police operation remained in progress.

According to police sources, the police party managed to reach a police station safely after returning fire against the attackers. The sources said additional reinforcements were called into the area.

Local sources said a large number of militants were present in Barakzai, keeping the situation tense as an intense exchange of fire continued from both sides.

Bomb defused near mosque

In a separate development, Bannu police said they prevented a major incident by defusing a 10-kilogramme remote-controlled bomb planted near Gul Zaman Mosque in Mamash Khel on the Bannu-Miranshah Road.

The bomb disposal squad neutralised the explosive device in what was described as a timely operation.

Recent surge in attacks

The latest violence comes amid a wider resurgence in militancy in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, especially those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Officials say those requests have not been acted upon.

A day earlier, a police official was martyred after unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Bara tehsil of Khyber district.

Earlier this month, Islamabad issued what it described as a strong demarche to Afghanistan over the May 10 suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu, in which 15 police personnel were killed.

On May 12, at least nine people, including two traffic policemen, were killed and 33 others were injured in a blast in Lakki Marwat.

Earlier this week, a tribal chief was among three people killed in an explosion in Wana, in Lower South Waziristan.

Amid the renewed wave of militancy, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan where security personnel and law enforcement agencies are frequently targeted, the state has stepped up counter-terrorism operations.

A week ago, police said they had killed five high-value targets, including a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan commander accused of involvement in the deadly Fateh Khel police post attack.