LAKKI MARWAT: Police on Friday night intercepted an explosive-laden rickshaw in Bannu district, killing three terrorists and foiling a potential suicide attack on a police post in Mazanga in the jurisdiction of the Havaid police station.

A police official said that policemen spotted a suspicious loader rickshaw, with three suspects on board, moving towards the police post located in the Mazanga area within the limits of the Havaid police station.

The rickshaw was signalled to stop, but it kept moving towards the post. Alarmed by this, the policemen deployed on duty opened fire, causing a loud explosion.

The firing by police resulted in a huge explosion in the rickshaw, killing three Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists, he said, adding that the police officials at the post remained safe, but the explosion partially damaged nearby houses.

RPO Sajjad Khan and DPO Saleem Abbas Kulachi lauded the police for their prompt action and said that the police were fully committed to thwarting their attacks.

Attack on police station

In Birmal tehsil in South Waziristan, unkn­own assailants launched a rocket and gun attack on the Azam Warsak police station on Saturday.

According to police, the attackers targeted the police station from multiple directions, but the police and the FC personnel responded swiftly, forcing the assailants to flee. No casualties were reported in the incident.

Lower South Waziristan DPO Mohammad Tahir Shah told Dawn that the FC and police’s timely and coordinated response successfully repelled the attack.

He stated that the exchange of fire lasted for some time before the situation returned to normal, adding that the attackers took advantage of nearby orchards and escaped into the mountains. DPO Tahir Shah added that the police force remained on high alert to foil any acts of terrorism in the district.

It is pertinent to mention that three days earlier, unidentified gunmen shot dead one person and abducted another in the same area of Azam Warsak.

Sources said that during the past year, several areas of Birmal tehsil have witnessed a deteriorating law and order situation marked by frequent bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, and attacks on security and police posts.

However, over the past month, security operations by law enforcement agencies have significantly improved the situation in the region.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025