KARACHI: Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday visited the Combined Military Hospital in the city of Rawalpindi to enquire about the wellbeing of soldiers injured in an operation on Tuesday to take control of a police compound that militants had held hostage since Sunday.
Militants being detained at the counterterrorism department (CTD) complex in the northwestern city of Bannu took control of the compound after overpowering their interrogators and taking their weapons, leading to a two day siege. Army commandoes ultimately stormed the compound on Tuesday and took back control.
Army spokesman Major General Ahmed Sharif told a local TV channel late on Tuesday night that one hostage and two commandos died in the operation to retake the compound on Dec 20. He also said one CTD official was killed earlier on Dec 18 when the Taliban detainees first took over the facility, while another was injured on that day but died later. He did not specify if this second official was among those killed during the operation. Ten soldiers, including three officers, were also injured during crossfiring, the spokesperson said.
“COAS met injured officers and soldiers who got injured during CTD complex Bannu Operations,” the army’s media wing said in a statement. “COAS remained with them for some time and inquired about their well being. COAS appreciated their high spirit and morale and lauded their professionalism during operation against terrorists.”
Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir (right) enquires about the wellbeing of a soldier injured in the Bannu operation at Combined Military Hospital in the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on December 21, 2022. (ISPR)
Of the 35 militants detained in the facility, 25 were killed during the operation, three were arrested while trying to escape and seven surrendered, the military said.
According to the account by the army spokesperson and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, the compound was back under state control on Tuesday.
The TTP associates itself with the Afghan Taliban and has been fighting to overthrow the government in Islamabad since the late 2000s. The outlawed group has ramped up attacks in recent weeks since announcing the end of an Afghan Taliban-brokered cease-fire with Islamabad in November.
