HANGU/KOHAT: Two more militants, including the one involved in the attack on the district police officer (DPO) Hangu, were killed as targeted operations intensified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Officials said the Hangu police killed the wanted terrorist, Shahzaib, allegedly involved in the attack on DPO Muhammad Khalid.
The DPO had sustained injuries in an attack in Hangu a few days back.
The officials said that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had registered the first information report under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act against the accused.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team launched a raid in the Naryab area in Hangu within the jurisdiction of Doaba Police Station to apprehend Shahzaib, a resident of Naryab.
The police, the officials said, arrested the suspect near Naryab Dam without any resistance. During preliminary interrogation, they said, Shahzaib revealed the whereabouts of Umar alias Abu Bakr, a key commander of the outlawed Khawarij network.
Following this lead, they said, the police advanced towards the Tora Wari area to capture other terrorist elements. However, as the team approached the location, they came under heavy gunfire from militants. In the ensuing exchange of fire, officials said, Shahzaib was killed by bullets fired by his own associates.
However, all police personnel remained unharmed in the incident.
In Karak, the police killed a wanted terrorist and destroyed his hideouts and residences.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Abbas Majeed Khan Marwat told reporters in Kohat that the operation was carried out in response to the recent killing of constable Saeed Nawaz.
The operation, led by DPO Karak Shahbaz Elahi, was a joint effort by the local police and the CTD. The RPO said the terrorists involved in the murder of Saeed Nawaz were targeted in the Shah Saleem Police Station’s jurisdiction.
Following a brief exchange of fire, he said, the terrorists fled toward nearby hills and forests. A search operation ensued, he added, during which a terrorist named Fidahullah was killed. Weapons and ammunition recovered from him included a Kalashnikov rifle, two hand-grenades, a bandolier, magazines, and 50 rounds of live ammunition. Preliminary investigations confirmed that the slain militant group was directly involved in the killing of Saeed Nawaz.
During the operation, the terrorists’ safe houses and residences were surrounded, demolished, and set on fire in a coordinated move based on confirmed intelligence.
Earlier, the police and the CTD personnel killed three terrorists in a joint intelligence-based operation in Barikot Tehsil in Swat district on Friday night.
The operation took place in the Parrai area of Barikot Tehsil, where the terrorists unexpectedly opened fire on a police team. However, the security personnel responded swiftly and killed the three attackers.
