BANNU: Five terrorists, including a ‘commander’, were gunned down in a sec­urity operation in Bannu’s Domel tehsil, which also resulted in the death of three civilians and injuries to several others.

The operation, which continued from morning till evening, was launched in the Sperka and Kotka Akbar Ali Khan areas of the tehsil and at least seven militants were inju­red in the heavy shootout. The security forces targeted the terrorists’ hideouts with more than 25 quadcopter strikes, while a heavy exchange of fire continued throughout the clashes, sources claimed.

The slain commander was identified as Zewaran alias Al-Badri, who was wanted in several cases. Following the operation, continuous surveillance by drones and helicopters was being carried out in the region to round up the remaining terrorists trying to flee the area.

According to locals, the operation also resulted in the death of three civilians, including two women, whose bodies were retrieved from a house in the afternoon. A local resident told Dawn that the deceased included Naeemullah, his mother, and his grandmother. The deceased’s son, wife, sister and cousin also sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital. Separately, Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Noman told Dawn that four injured persons were brought to the hospital, including two women and two children.

Sources said the operation started in the morning and heavy contingents of police and security forces reached the area, while the residents were told to stay inside their houses.

The operation was supervised by Bannu RPO Sajjad Khan, DPO Yasir Afridi, and other senior security officials. They remained present in the field and personally monitored the action.

Earlier this week, two terrorists were killed in a shootout with police in Domel. On January 13, armed assailants killed four members of a peace committee in the district. The incident took place in the Gulbadin Landi Dak area of Bannu district.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2026