More convoy attack, looting suspects held from Kurram – Newspaper

KURRAM: Police and law-enforcement agencies arrested 20 more people, including suspected terrorists and their facilitators, during an ongoing operation in Kurram district on Sunday.

On Monday (Feb 17), over 30 trucks carrying food supplies to Kurram were looted while 19 trucks were set on fire after a convoy came under an attack at the Bagan, Charkhel, Ochat and Mandori areas. Several people, including security personnel and drivers, lost their lives in the incident.

According to the Regional Police Officer (RPO) Kohat, Abbas Majid Marwat, the operation against terrorists continued at Charkhel, Ochat, Bagan, Mandori, Dad Kamar and adjacent areas and 20 more suspected insurgents and their facilitators were arrested, raising the number of detained militants to 85.

A statement issued from the RPO office stated that heavy weapons and looted items were also recovered from the arrested terrorists.

The recovered weapons included 81 SMGs (submachine guns), 2 HMGs (heavy machine guns), 2 LMGs (light machine guns), Kalashnikov rifles, 12-bore shotguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Many of the arrested insurgents are listed in the FIRs of 57 individuals held by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the Kohat RPO added.

Additionally, four trucks containing looted goods, including medicines and other daily use items, had been recovered from the convoy. The looted items were found in houses and other locations, according to the RPO.

The statement said that the operation also invo­lved shelling suspected hideouts of terrorists in the mo­u­ntainous areas using gunship helicopters and artillery.

The police and security forces have been conducting operations against the militants involved in attac­king convoys, looting of food supplies, and engaging in arson and destruction in the areas of Ochat, Baggan, Mandori, and other areas in Lower Kurram.

The provincial government is also carrying out operations in the mountainous regions to arrest terrorists with bounty rewards on their heads, the RPO confirmed.

On Saturday, unknown terrorists had targeted the convoy of the Comm­andant of Kurram Militia, resulting in casualties among security personnel.

Door-to-door searches were also being conducted in various areas of Lower Kurram.

The police and security forces were making full efforts to secure the Kohat-Parachinar road, Abbas Majid Marwat concluded.

Informed sources said that several individuals had also been arrested from Peshawar and other regions, including Haji Karim, Nabi Gul and Maulana Shah Nawaz.

According to sources, Maulana Shah Nawaz was arrested after a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Sunday.

He was arrested for deli­v­ering provocative speec­hes. The sources said that Nabi Gul was taken into custody from the Peshawar airport.

Traders’ leader Haji Imd­ad said that the government should arrange a relief package for the trap­ped population of 500,000 and compensate affected traders for their losses.

Locals said that the people were facing severe difficulties due to the lack of food supplies and medicines. They said that a litre of petrol was being sold for Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500, and the residents were being forced to travel long distances on foot.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2025