Six militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department in the Bannu region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials said on Friday.
According to details, the operation was conducted in the Shagai area in the limits of Gambela Police Station in Lakki Marwat district. During the raid, security personnel adopted an effective strategy against the militants.
Authorities said the militants opened fire after spotting the CTD’s Special Weapons and Tactics team. In response, CTD personnel returned fire in self-defence, leading to an exchange of gunfire that continued for around 40 minutes.
Following the end of the firing, security forces carried out a search operation in the area and found six militants dead.
Initial reports indicate that efforts are under way to identify the deceased militants. Officials said further action would be taken against their facilitators and other accomplices once the identification process is completed.
Security personnel also recovered a cache of weapons and equipment from the scene, including four Kalashnikov rifles with 10 magazines and 43 rounds of ammunition, two 9mm pistols with four magazines and seven rounds, eight hand grenades, four bandoliers, and one improvised explosive device (IED).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police IG Zulfiqar Hameed and the Additional Inspector General of the CTD congratulated the CTD SWAT teams for the successful operation, praising their professionalism, courage and timely action.
The provincial police chief said the security personnel were valuable assets in the fight against terrorism and played a key role in defending the country and maintaining peace. He added that the sacrifices of martyrs would not go in vain and that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police would continue their efforts to eliminate terrorism.