Seven FC personnel slain, 13 wounded in militant ambush

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: At least seven Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were killed and 13 others wounded on Thursday in a fierce gun battle with militants during a search and strike operation in the Sar Banda area of Maidan, security officials said.

One FC man was reported missing after the clash in the mountainous terrain under the jurisdiction of the Lal Qila police station, where militants had taken positions and opened fire on a security convoy.

The wounded were taken to Lal Qila Hospital and later transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Timergara for further treatment. A heavy contingent of police, Elite Force and Dir Scouts remained in the area as the operation continued, police officials said.

Security forces claimed to have inflicted “significant losses” on the militants, though no details were immediately provided. Lal Qila was once a stronghold of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM), led by Maulana Sufi Muhammad. His son-in-law, Mullah Fazlullah, became the head of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and fled to Afghanistan during the 2009 military offensive in Malakand. He was later killed in an air strike in Afghanistan.

In a separate incident, militants launched a late-night assault on the Lajbook police post. Police said personnel deployed there repelled the attack after several hours of firing, forcing the militants to retreat. No casualties were reported.

The Lower Dir district administration has imposed Section 144 on Thursday, banning the flying of drones, quadcopters and balloons across the district. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Arif Khan directed assistant commissioners and police officials to ensure strict enforcement, warning that violators would face legal action.

Meanwhile, tribal elders of the Toji Khel tribe in South Waziristan resolved in a meeting on Sept. 9 not to allow militants to operate from their soil. They warned militants to leave the area or face exile. The elders also announced strict penalties, including demolition of houses and a fine of Rs2 million, against anyone found facilitating militants with food, shelter or other assistance.