KHYBER: Armed terrorists, affiliated with various groups, are understood to have gradually moved out of the plains of Tirah valley here, taking refuge in vacant houses in the hilly terrain, as security forces have fortified their positions in key locations of the valley.

Sources in the region told Dawn that the situation in most parts of the valley was calm, with no major terror-related incident reported last month.

They said the armed terrorists, who were frequently seen in different parts of Tirah valley, had either returned to Afghanistan or shifted to the bordering Orakzai district, with some opting to “settle down” in partially damaged houses in the peripheral hilly areas to avoid public attention.

The sources said terrorists had shifted to Sanda Paal, Dray Naghari and Daroota villages before taking refuge in empty houses.

They said those areas were vacated by residents in November last year in anticipation of a military operation after a surge in terrorist attacks on military convoys and security checkposts.

Residents of Kamarkhel, Takhtaki, Ghulam Ali and Sukh localities told Dawn that terrorists would suddenly barge into their houses and demand food and other essential items.

They said that the ‘unwanted’ presence of terrorists in their houses “at odd times” had led to them into a constant fear of a targeted action by the security forces for sheltering them.

The residents insisted that terrorists had not caused them any personal harm to them, so they couldn’t refuse food and shelter to them, especially when they’re heavily armed.

Local sources claimed that the terrorists were always on the move for fear of a targeted operation by the security forces.

Regarding the identity and affiliations of terrorists, they revealed that armed men were associated with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-i-Islam, Amarat-i-Islami and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which were operational in parts of the valley.

The sources said that though the exact number of terrorists who had shifted to the hilly areas for fear of a full-fledged military operation was not known, they totaled 70-100, with the rest fleeing the valley for the time being.

The residents said while most of those terrorists were local tribesmen, they also recognised some non-local among them, including some Afghans and terrorists from Orakzai and Waziristan tribal regions.

Meanwhile, residents and traders in Bagh-Maidam Markaz, the Tirah valley’s main business centre, said that shops were open and vehicles regularly plied both local link roads and the main road between Bara and Tirah.

They also said that after the deployment of additional security personnel in the recent weeks, weapon-wielding terrorists, who were often seen roam across plains and film their patrols, had suddenly vanished.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2025