PESHAWAR: Six “highly wanted” militants were killed in an operation in the mountainous areas of the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following an attack on a police checkpoint, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police said on Wednesday.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan, both regions bordering Afghanistan, which are often targeted by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Baloch separatist groups including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Islamabad accuses India of financing these militant groups and Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for the TTP and BLA to plan attacks in Pakistan. New Delhi and Kabul deny these allegations.
The CTD said it launched an operation against “highly wanted” militants hiding in the mountainous areas of Lower Dir district after intelligence reports indicated their presence in the region. According to an official statement, the militants were responsible for killing a police constable in the recent attack on the Badwan Bridge Check Post in Tehsil Adenzai and were allegedly planning another attack.
“The terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on the police teams. In response, police returned fire in self-defense in an effort to apprehend the suspects,” the CTD said in a statement.
“The exchange of fire continued for a considerable period and after the firing ceased, a search operation was conducted during which six terrorists were found dead.”
The CTD said the suspected militants were wanted in multiple “terrorism-related” cases. It added that six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from their possession.
An operation was underway to apprehend the suspected militants who escaped during the police operation, the CTD said.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has long been the center of Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations. Frequent militant attacks targeting civilians and security personnel highlight the ongoing security challenges in the province.
In May, the Pakistan military said it killed 44 militants in multiple operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as Islamabad intensified its campaign against armed groups operating near the Afghan border.
