BANNU: Five suspected militants were killed in a joint operation carried out by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Bannu district, officials said on Thursday.
According to Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Furqan Bilal, the operation was launched near Gul Bahar Chowk in the jurisdiction of Haved Police Station, where security personnel engaged heavily armed militants in an exchange of fire that lasted for around 40 minutes.
The DPO said five militants were killed during the operation, while all police and CTD personnel remained unharmed. He added that the identification of the deceased militants is under way, and their details will be released after verification.
CTD officials said several militants managed to flee during the operation. A search and clearance operation is continuing in the area to trace and arrest the escaped suspects.
Authorities said the militants opened indiscriminate fire upon spotting the security forces, prompting an effective retaliatory response. Heavy police contingents later reached the scene and cordoned off the area.
During the operation, security forces recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, 10 magazines, five bandoliers, two hand grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition from the militants’ possession.
The CTD said the criminal profiling and identification of the slain militants are in progress, while the search operation will continue until the remaining suspects are apprehended.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the successful joint operation and commended the professionalism and bravery of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and CTD personnel.
In a statement, he congratulated the teams for eliminating five militants and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to continue operations against terrorist groups until peace is fully restored.
Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Zulfiqar Hameed also lauded the Swat team and local police for their professionalism and courage during the operation.
He vowed that security forces would intensify action not only against militants but also against their facilitators and support networks to dismantle terrorist infrastructure completely.
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