Three police personnel embraced martyrdom and three terrorists were killed in a fierce exchange of fire during a targeted operation in the Shangla District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.
According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the terrorists belonged to a militant network were posing a serious threat to law-enforcement agencies personnel and strategic projects.
In the ensuing engagement, three terrorists were neutralized, including Noor Islam alias Salman alias Khog Bacha, a resident of Kabalgram and former member of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) officially dubbed as the Indian-proxy Fitna al-Khawarij.
The CTD said Khog Bacha was listed in its Red Book and carried head money of Rs5 million. One terrorist remained unidentified, while the third blew himself up during the operation.
The intelligence-led operation was launched in coordination with local police after credible information was received about the presence of an organized 'tashkeel' in various localities of Kabalgram, including high-value targets sheltering in natural cave complexes with active local facilitation.
Besides, the CTD Swat said, additional terrorists had positioned themselves inside the village to provide logistics and reinforcement, while earlier vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attacks targeting Chinese nationals were traced back to the same network.
"Proximity of militant presence to KKH significantly elevates the threat level to Chinese projects and the strategic road corridor," the press release stated, adding that CTD teams made contact with the terrorists while advancing towards identified cave-based hideouts.
After the initial clash, remaining terrorists manoeuvred beneath an overhanging cliff formation, rendering direct fire ineffective. They later launched rocket-propelled grenade attacks on CTD vehicles, followed by indiscriminate firing to provide escape cover for trapped terrorists.
Officials said the attack was repulsed through disciplined manoeuvring and a controlled response.
However, three personnel - Maqbool Ahmad, Fida and Saeedur Rehman - embraced martyrdom, while one Elite Force official sustained injuries.
"Considering the difficult mountainous terrain, tactical disadvantage posed by cliff concealment and the risk of further reinforcements from the village, teams were directed to conduct a tactical pullback," the CTD said, adding that the area remains under surveillance and further intelligence-led action will follow.
Funeral prayers for the martyred police personnel were offered at the Alpuri police lines with full honours, attended by police officials, senior administrators and large numbers of citizens, who vowed that the sacrifices would not go in vain.
Reporter: Ahmad Mansoor