By Staff Reporter
BANNU: Security forces killed five militants, including a commander wanted in multiple cases, during a day-long operation in the restive northwestern district of Bannu on Thursday, but the clashes also left three civilians dead and several others wounded, according to officials and local residents.
The operation conducted in the Sperka and Kotka Akbar Ali Khan areas of Domel tehsil, starting in the morning and stretching until evening, with heavy gunfire exchanged between forces and the militants holed up in hideouts.
Security officials said the forces deployed more than 25 quadcopter strikes to target the militants’ positions, while at least seven insurgents were injured in the intense fighting. The slain commander was identified as Zewaran, also known as Al-Badri, who had been sought in connection with several security incidents. After the operation concluded, drones and helicopters maintained surveillance over the area to track and apprehend any remaining militants attempting to escape.
Local residents said that the violence claimed the lives of three civilians, including two women, whose bodies were recovered from a house in the afternoon. One resident told the Dawn newspaper that the deceased included Naeemullah, his mother and his grandmother. The same resident said the deceased’s son, wife, sister and cousin were among those injured and were rushed to a hospital for treatment. Muhammad Noman, a spokesperson for Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, confirmed that four wounded individuals had been admitted, comprising two women and two children.
Sources familiar with the operation said it began with large contingents of police and security personnel arriving in the area, where they instructed residents to remain indoors for safety. The effort was overseen by senior officials, including Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan and District Police Officer Yasir Afridi, who were present on the ground to monitor the action directly.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region. Earlier this week, two militants were killed in a separate shootout with police in Domel. On Jan. 13, armed assailants gunned down four members of a local peace committee in the Gulbadin Landi Dak area of Bannu district.
Bannu, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, has seen recurrent militant activity, often linked to groups operating across the frontier. Security forces have intensified operations in the area in recent months to curb insurgent threats, though such actions have occasionally resulted in civilian casualties, drawing criticism from local communities.
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