By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A wave of violence swept across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on Saturday, killing six security personnel and at least six militants in shootings, bombings, and police operations, officials said.
Swabi Attack
In Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two officers were fatally shot late Friday by gunmen on motorcycles. Zahid Khan and Jamaluddin, stationed at the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate police post, were ambushed while resting at a hotel. Social media footage showed the officers seated moments before the attack.
Their funerals drew senior officials, including Mardan Regional Police Officer Najeebur Rehman, who called the losses a “heavy blow.”
“We stand with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” Rehman said in a tribute to the fallen officers. A manhunt is underway, but no suspects have been detained.
Four Found Dead in Mardan
In Mardan’s rugged Babuzai area, police discovered the bodies of four men, including two soldiers, on Saturday. A preliminary investigation by the police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) revealed the victims were “killed by militants led by Commander Abdul Hameed Hamasi.” Locals spotted the bodies and alerted police, who moved them to a hospital.
One victim, Hammad Ghafoor was a Babuzai resident and owner of a crushing plant, abducted four days earlier by unknown persons. Another, Zubair Afridi from Bara, was the head of Aman Lashkar, a local peace committee. The identities of the two army personnel remain withheld pending official confirmation. Police estimate the killings occurred two to three days ago.
A district police spokesperson confirmed a search operation is underway, with a case registered by the CTD. The First Information Report names six alleged terrorists: Qasim, Usman, Umar Sadiq, Zahid Khan, Muhammad Umar Khan, and Mudasir.
Militant Commander Killed in D.I. Khan
In Dera Ismail Khan, a terrorist commander linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Gandapur faction was killed in a police operation. Local police spokesman Yaqub Zulqarnain said the exchange of fire occurred when terrorists ambushed a police team returning from Takwara. The officers repelled the attack, killing the commander, identified as Fatah.
District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmad Sahibzada and Sadar SP led a subsequent search operation to apprehend remaining suspects. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed praised the police response, announcing commendations and rewards for the personnel involved.
Balochistan Hit by Multiple Attacks
In Balochistan, four security personnel, including a senior CTD officer, were martyred amid a spate of attacks and operations. In Kalat’s Mongochar area, a bomb attack killed two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and injured four others. A senior official said a bomb disposal team was sweeping the area near Sheikh Haji post to clear landmines when an improvised explosive device (IED) was remotely detonated.
In a separate incident in Kalat, CTD Sub-Inspector Fida Ahmed was gunned down by unknown armed men near his home. In Mastung, two individuals, including police official Shakeel Ahmed Bangulzai and Adnan Ahmed Dehwar, were killed in a firing incident. Later that night, armed men attacked a Levies station in Mastung’s Kirdgab area, overpowering personnel after a heavy exchange of fire. The assailants damaged official vehicles and looted weapons before fleeing to nearby mountains.
In Khuzdar, unknown attackers hurled hand grenades at the home of district council chairman Salahuddin Zehri, a Pakistan Peoples Party member, late Friday night. The assault damaged the house’s walls, but Mr. Zehri was not home, and no casualties were reported. On Saturday, a roadside bomb exploded in Gandawah, Jhal Magsi, though it caused no casualties.
Meanwhile, in Qila Abdullah, the CTD killed five terrorists from a banned outfit during an operation in the Jungle Piralizai area. A CTD spokesman said the raid followed intelligence about wanted terrorists. After a fierce gun battle, the terrorists were killed, and authorities recovered arms, ammunition, and maps of sensitive installations. The spokesman claimed the group was involved in prior attacks on security forces.
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