Three suspected terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban’s (TTP) Tipu Gul group were killed in a joint operation by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district last night, police said on Saturday.

Aamir Khan, the spokesperson for Lakki Marwat police, said in a statement today that the CTD, in collaboration with the local police, carried out an intelligence-based operation in the Bathani Neh area near Harama Tala village and killed three wanted militants.

The police statement said that the terrorists belonged to the TTP’s Tipu Gul group and were involved in the targeted killing of Waheedullah of the CTD, Traffic Constable Anwar Sher and Constable Idrees.

The statement added that the encounter lasted for about 25 minutes.

The police identified the suspected militants as Waseemullah alias Umar Khattab, Qudratullah alias Abu Bakr, and Hijratullah alias Hijrat.

They were residents of Gundi Khan Khel, Hijratullah, and Serai Gambila Town’s Harama Tala area of Lakki Marwat.

The police statement also mentioned that the terrorists were wanted by the Bannu CTD for blasts using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and attacks on police, among other serious crimes.

Lakki Marwat has long been a hotspot for terrorism and violence, with unrest dating back to the early 2000s. Militant attacks have become more frequent in recent months, despite ongoing efforts by local peace committees to maintain order and resist terrorist influence.

Last week, the leader of a peace committee and two of his companions were shot dead by terrorists in Lakki Marwat district.

Earlier in June, three terrorists were killed in the district’s Kot Kashmir area during a gun battle with the police and local peace committee, in which a cop was also martyred.