Three suspected terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Tipu Gul group were killed in a joint operation conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and local police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to a statement released by Aamir Khan, spokesperson for Lakki Marwat police, the intelligence-based operation was launched late Friday night near the village of Harama Tala in the Bathani Neh area, along the unpaved road by the Bhatni Canal. The encounter lasted approximately 25 minutes and resulted in the elimination of three wanted militants.
The militants were identified as Waseemullah alias Umar Khattab, Qudratullah alias Abu Bakr, and Hijratullah alias Hijrat. All three were residents of various areas in Lakki Marwat, including Gundi Khan Khel and Serai Gambila Town.
Police stated that the suspects were involved in multiple high-profile attacks, including the targeted killings of CTD official Waheedullah, Traffic Constable Anwar Sher, and Constable Idrees. They were also wanted by the Bannu CTD for a series of serious crimes including bomb blasts using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and repeated attacks on law enforcement personnel.
Lakki Marwat has been a recurring hotspot of militant activity, with a history of unrest stretching back to the early 2000s. In recent months, violence has escalated despite continued efforts by local peace committees to curb extremist influence. Just last week, the head of a peace committee and two of his companions were gunned down in the district. Earlier in June, another gun battle in the Kot Kashmir area of Lakki Marwat left three terrorists dead and a police officer martyred.
Authorities have vowed to continue their operations to eliminate terrorist elements from the region.