In a joint operation by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and police in Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three suspected militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Bhittani group were killed during an exchange of fire, the CTD confirmed on Friday. The encounter occurred in the Garah Faqira area under the jurisdiction of S.M.A. police station following intelligence reports about militant presence along Jandola Road.
Two of the deceased militants were identified as Usama and Suleman, while the identity of the third individual remains under verification. The CTD alleged that the three were involved in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Meera Alam petrol pump, which resulted in the deaths of one civilian and two police personnel, and injured seven others. Additionally, they were accused of planting IEDs at Wana Bazaar and at the office of Bilal, the head of a local peace committee.
the CTD spokesperson, Usama was the brother of Shoaib, a militant allegedly linked to the 2025 attack on Bannu Cantonment, and the cousin of Musa, who was killed in an attack on police in Wana Bazaar. These details have not been independently verified.
Security forces recovered three Kalashnikov rifles, 11 magazines, and mobile phones from the site. A search operation was launched after the gunfire ceased. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and the CTD’s additional inspector general commended the personnel involved in the operation. Hameed emphasized that counterterrorism operations would continue relentlessly to eradicate terrorism from the province.
Separately, in Khyber district, two police officers were martyred in separate shootings by unidentified gunmen in Jamrud. The deceased were identified as Bahadur Shah, son of Muhammad Akbar from Charsadda, and Constable Kamran.
Bahadur Shah was shot in the Ghundi Sakhi Pul area late Thursday night, with his body transported to the hospital for post-mortem examination on Friday morning. Kamran was killed in the Jalal Din area within Jamrud police station’s jurisdiction, and his body was taken to Jamrud Hospital.
Police deployed a heavy contingent to the scenes, but the assailants managed to escape. Their identities remain unknown, and investigations are ongoing.
