Police have rescued eight of 17 workers, associated with a mining project, who were abducted at gunpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Thursday morning, officials said.

Speaking to Dawn.com, district police spokesperson Shahid Marwat said, “Around 9am on Thursday, 17 workers, including a driver, involved in a mining project were travelling in a minibus when they were stopped and taken away at gunpoint by some men on Dara Tang Road in Lakki Marwat.

“Eight of the abducted workers have been recovered, of which three sustained minor injuries,” he said.

The official added that an operation involving police and security officials was underway in the district to recover the remaining workers.

Speaking to Dawn.com on the condition of anonymity, a District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) official confirmed that three of the recovered hostages sustained some injuries and were receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, local and international media outlets reported that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the abductions.

Hours after the incident, some videos also appeared on social media platforms in which men, said to be the abducted workers, could be seen appealing to the government to accept the militants’ demands and get them released.

However, Dawn.com could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

Earlier in the day, police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said they killed three militants belonging to the Teepu Gull group, a TTP affiliate, in a joint operation carried out in the Malang Adda area of the district.

Officials said that police received information about the presence of a dozen militants in the area, upon which an intelligence-based operation was planned.

“As soon as the raiding team took position, the militants opened fire,” officials said, adding that an intense exchange of fire took place between the raiding team and the militants.

The slain militants were identified as Shafeeq Nawaz, Muhammad Mujahid alias Jihadyar, and Fidaur Rehman alias Anas alias Gul, officials said.

Lakki Marwat has been a hotspot for terrorism and violence as far back as the early 2000s. The region experienced brief respite following security operations, but militancy has once again arisen over the last few years.

Attacks escalated ever since the TTP broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target police and security forces.

Earlier this week, two police officials were martyred after unidentified gunmen targeted them in the Jabukhel area of the district. Both policemen were killed on the spot and the terrorists managed to escape on a motorcycle.

In a retaliatory operation, one terrorist commander was gunned down by the law enforcers and villagers.