KARACHI: At least sixteen terrorists were killed and four law enforcement officials, including two army personnel, martyred in separate operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab over the weekend. Several others were injured in the clashes.
In an intelligence-based operation in Baka Khel, Bannu district, five militants were killed and nine injured. During the operation, 29-year-old Sepoy Iftikhar Hussain from Jhang embraced martyrdom.
In the Shagai area of Khyber district, security forces killed three terrorists and arrested two others. Captain Muhammad Zohaibuddin, 25, from Lahore, leading his troops in the operation, was martyred during the firefight. One of the killed attackers was reportedly involved in the killing of journalist Khalil Jibran in June.
In Lakki Marwat, a police station in Darra Pezu was targeted by armed militants in a two-pronged midnight attack. The policemen engaged the attackers for nearly an hour, successfully repelling them. Policeman Kiramatullah was martyred in the exchange.
Separately, in Mianwali, Punjab police repulsed an assault on Chapri police station by around 20 militants armed with rocket launchers and grenades. Four militants were killed, and two police officials were injured.
In Mardan Pul, Assistant Sub Inspector Mir Ghulam Marwat was martyred, and two other policemen were injured when unidentified assailants attacked a police van. Another police officer sustained injuries in a separate attack on a check-post in Sur Dagar, Darazinda.
In Sherani district, Balochistan, four suspected terrorists were killed in an operation in Mughal Kot. Officials said the militants belonged to a banned outfit and hailed from Afghanistan.
These operations underscore the ongoing efforts by Pakistan’s security forces to neutralize anti-state elements across multiple provinces.
Contributions: Saleem Shahid (Quetta), Muhammad Irfan Mughal (D.I. Khan), Khurshid Anwar Khan (Mianwali), Lakki Marwat correspondent, Peshawar bureau.