ISLAMABAD: At least 22 militants and two police personnel have been killed in a fierce shootout in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a senior police official said on Saturday.
The operation, which was still underway at the time of filing the story, was launched in the Bannu district, a militancy hotspot near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The region has seen a surge in violence, with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups frequently targeting security convoys and checkpoints with modern weapons and quadcopters.
Saturday’s shootout erupted during a joint intelligence-based operation conducted by police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Mirian area of Bannu, following a tip-off regarding the presence of TTP members, according to Raza Khan, a police official.
“The operation is ongoing. So far, 22 militants have been killed, while two police personnel have been martyred,” Khan told Arab News over the phone, adding three other policemen had sustained minor injuries.
“Final figures will be shared once the operation is concluded,” he added.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the law enforcement personnel in a statement.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and CTD took timely action and foiled the evil intentions of the khwarij,” Naqvi said, using the official term for TTP militants.
He also extended his “deepest sympathies to the families of the fallen officers.”
Saturday’s raid comes just days after militants attacked a security compound in KP’s Bajaur district using an explosives-laden truck and gunfire, killing at least nine paramilitary officers.
Earlier on May 10, a separate suicide bombing and subsequent assault on a checkpoint in Bannu left 15 policemen dead.
Pakistan blames the surge in militancy in its western regions on militants that it says operate out of Afghanistan, an allegation denied by Kabul.
The attacks have soured relations between Islamabad and Kabul, leading to fierce clashes between both sides since February this year.
