LAKKI MARWAT: Police killed two suspected militants during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Wednesday while a third suspect escaped despite being injured according to police officials.
The operation was launched after law enforcement authorities received information about the presence of militants in the area. When police approached the suspects allegedly opened fire prompting officers to retaliate. Two militants were killed in the exchange while another managed to flee with injuries.
Police identified the group as Fitna al-Khawarij a term used by the Pakistani state for members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfikar Hameed said the action had prevented what he described as a large-scale terrorist attempt. He told reporters that security forces had neutralised the suspects and disrupted their alleged plan.
The latest operation comes amid an increase in militant violence across Pakistan with attacks in several areas over recent months claiming the lives of security personnel and civilians.
Last week, a bombing at a joint security checkpoint near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan killed 12 people and wounded 35 others. The TTP claimed responsibility for that attack.
Earlier, on September 19, a blast during Friday prayers at a mosque inside Kohat’s Police Lines killed 23 people, including 15 police personnel. Eight militants were subsequently killed during a search and clearance operation. The Afghanistan-based Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur later claimed responsibility.
In another incident in Hangu district six security personnel including an army captain and lieutenant were killed in an exchange of fire while eight militants also died.
Militant attacks have also targeted security installations in Balochistan. On September 1, six security personnel including two officers and a customs official were killed when forces thwarted an attempt to breach the Customs House.
In July an attack in Ziarat’s Kach Mangi Phase III area killed at least 30 people among them 27 police personnel. The assault also involved the abduction of civilians and police personnel followed by a joint security operation involving the army, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Police.
