In Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three police personnel—a station clerk and two constables—have gone missing under circumstances that suggest possible abduction by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The incident reportedly took place around 4pm on Thursday, a report filed by the station house officer (SHO) of Nizam Pur police station.
The missing individuals have been identified as clerk Naeemullah and constables Aamir and Noor Islam. The station clerk had received a phone call indicating the presence of suspected militants in the mountainous area near the Kohat boundary. Acting on this information, Naeemullah traveled to the Piran area close to the Kohat boundary in a private vehicle, accompanied by the two constables, to conduct surveillance.
By approximately 6pm, authorities at Gambat police station in Kohat district informed the Nizam Pur SHO that police personnel stationed at a picket or mobile unit had been taken away by suspected TTP militants operating in the Kohat region. This prompted immediate notification of senior police officials and the launch of recovery efforts.
A significant police contingent was dispatched to the area, conducting search operations throughout the night. However, the challenging mountainous terrain complicated these efforts. Additional police and security forces have since been deployed along the hilly Nowshera-Kohat boundary to intensify the search.
In parallel, negotiations involving local elders and the TTP have reportedly commenced in an attempt to secure the release of the missing personnel. This suspected abduction occurs amid a recent surge in attacks targeting police and security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Notable recent incidents include an October 7 attack in Kohat district where four personnel were injured in a shooting at a police checkpoint. On September 28, three traffic police officers were killed and two civilians wounded in a firing incident targeting a traffic police vehicle in Wazirabad, Tank district. Earlier, on September 26, a suicide bombing and gunfire at a checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan district resulted in 12 deaths and 35 injuries.
Additionally, a suicide bombing during Friday prayers on September 16 at a mosque inside the Old Police Lines in Kohat claimed the lives of 15 police personnel and six civilians, injuring 103 others. Despite these attacks, security forces continue their operations against militants under the Azm-e-Istehkam Vision, with seven militants reportedly killed in a recent operation in North Waziristan on Friday.
