KARACHI: At least seven Pakistani Taliban militants were killed in a police operation, backed by locals, in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu district, a police spokesman said on Saturday.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which borders Afghanistan and where Bannu is located, has witnessed a sharp increase in militant attacks, mainly by the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), frequently targeting security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.
The operation, supervised by Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan, was conducted on information about reported presence of Pakistani Taliban militants in Takhtikhel area, according to the Bannu police spokesman. The seven militants were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while no law enforcer was hurt in the gunfight.
“The personnel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police are always ready to maintain law and order and protect the people, and these operations are a practical proof of this determination,” RPO Khan was quoted as saying by the district police.
“The police received full support and cooperation from the public during the operation. The residents of the area stood by the police and continuously provided information about suspicious activities, which helped a lot in making the operation successful.”
The TTP has been behind some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since late 2000s. The group has stepped up its attacks against Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
Islamabad frequently accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP and India of backing the group in launching cross-border attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny this.
Clashes erupted between the neighbors on Oct. 11 after Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan against what it said were TTP-linked targets. The two sides reached a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, but tensions remain high between the neighbors despite two rounds of talks in Istanbul.
