SHANGLA/BANNU: Three policemen were mart­yred and two terrorists were eliminated during an operation in the Kabalgram area of Mart­u­ng tehsil in Shangla, while in a separate incident, two people were killed and at least 17 others injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near the Miryan police station in Bannu on Monday.

A Shangla police official said a terrorist attacked a police party during a search-and-strike operation in the Kabalgram area, resulting in the martyrdom of three policemen. The police retaliated swiftly and eliminated two attackers.

The official added that the operation was ongoing in the area and a large police contingent had been dispatched to the spot.

The martyred personnel were identified as Head Constable Maqbool Ahm­ad and Elite Force constables Saeed-ur-Reh­man and Fida Hussain.

IED blast

Meanwhile, Bannu pol­ice said two people, including a Hafiz-i-Quran boy, were killed when an IED planted on a motorcycle parked outside shops near the Miryan police station exploded with a loud bang. At least 17 others were injured in the explosion.

According to Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) spokesperson Muha­m­mad Noman, the bodies of the deceased and the 17 injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital and Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital.

Police and security forces cordoned off the area immediately after the incident, collected evidence from the site, and launched a search operation.

RPO Sajjad Khan, Dep­uty Commissioner Bannu Muhammad Faheem Khan, ANP Senator Haji Baaz Muhammad Khan Advocate, Dr Pir Sahib Zaman, PTI district president Haji Gul Baaz Khan, and other leaders visited the DHQ Hospital to inquire after the injured. According to the bomb disposal squad, seven to eight kilogrammes of explosive material was used in the blast.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026