Five security men hurt, four militants killed in KP ops – Pakistan

NORTH WAZIRISTAN / LAKKI MARWAT: Five security personnel, including an officer, were injured in a land mine explosion in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, on Monday.

Four alleged militants, including a commander, were also killed by security forces in separate operations.

According to security officials, the explosion occurred in the Muhammad Killay area of Mir Ali during a clearance operation.

The attack left five security personnel, including a captain, injured, sources said.

Terrorist commander ‘who killed army cadet’ gunned down in Lakki

The injured were moved to a hospital, where they are said to be in stable condition.

The military’s media wing has not issued a statement on this incident.

Sources said security forces killed three militants in a follow-up operation after the explosion.

Earlier on Thursday, four security personnel, including a major, were martyred and 13 terrorists killed in two different encounters in North Waziristan.

‘Militant commander’ killed

In Lakki Marwat, police claimed to have gunned down an alleged militant commander involved in the killing of an army cadet last year.

A police official said an intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted in the rural area of Mir Alam Manjiwala along the Kurram River following reports about the presence of militants there.

A special police team dispatched to the area by DPO Muhammad Jawad Ishaq surrounded the terrorists, resulting in intense gunfire between militants and the cops, which continued for half an hour.

According to the official, police were already on high alert in the district due to the ongoing polio vaccination drive.

The alleged militant leader was identified as Rehanullah alias Muntazir Aashna, a resident of the Marmandi Azeem area.

The cops seized an AK-47 assault rifle, magazines and hand grenades from him, according to the police official.

The deceased militant was allegedly involved in attacks on law enforcement personnel, extortion, kidnapping and other acts of terrorism.

He, along with his associates, was involved in an attack on a local mosque on October 25, 2024, in which the 19-year-old cadet, Arifullah, was martyred while fighting the assailants.

According to some reports, a clash between terrorists and local villagers also took place in the Mir Alam Manjiwala area before the police arrived at the scene.

Two villagers, identified as Zarwali Khan, 55, and his son Taimur Khan, 30, were injured in the clash.

A Rescue 1122 official said a medical team along with an ambulance was sent to the area after the control room received information about the incident.

The injured men were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Serai Naurang town.

The terrorists had planned to kidnap Taimur, an Air Force employee, sources said, adding that the villagers foiled the kidnapping before police reached the area and surrounded the terrorists.

Meanwhile, a policeman was injured when the van he was travelling in was targeted with a roadside bomb in the Qeemat Manjiwala area.

A police official said cops were going to Lakki city after conducting a successful operation against militants.

“An improvised explosive device (IED) went off with a bang while the police van was travelling on the road,” he maintained.

The vehicle was damaged in the explosion, while another IED weighing 15kg was defused by the bomb disposal squad.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025