BANNU: At least a dozen terrorists were killed while a man died on Saturday during heavy fighting between a police peace committee and militants in the Barakzai Akhundkhel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district.

A senior police official confirmed to Dawn that 12 terrorists had been eliminated, while “one [individual] was martyred” and four policemen were injured during the police action.

Bannu Medical Teaching Institution spokesperson Mohammad Nauman Khattab said the deceased was brought to the District Headquarters Hospital and was said to be a “retired personnel of the Federal Constabulary”.

According to police sources, the police party managed to reach a police station safely after fighting back against the attackers, and additional reinforcements were called into the area.

Local sources said a large number of militants were present in Barakzai, keeping the situation tense as an intense exchange of fire continued from both sides.

Separately, Bannu police also averted a major tragedy by defusing a 10-kilogramme remote-controlled bomb planted near Gul Zaman Mosque in Mamash Khel on the Bannu-Miranshah Road.

The bomb disposal squad successfully neutralised the explosive device during a timely operation.

Terrorism resurgence

There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan, especially in KP and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek—i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

A day ago, a police official was martyred when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Khyber district’s Bara tehsil.

Earlier this month, Islamabad issued a “strong demarche” to Afghanistan over the May 10 suicide attack at Bannu’s Fateh Khel police post, which claimed the lives of 15 police personnel.

On May 12, at least nine people, including two traffic policemen, lost their lives while 33 others were injured in a blast in Lakki Marwat. Earlier this week, a tribal chief was among three killed in a blast in Lower South Waziristan’s Wana.

Due to a resurgence of militancy, particularly in KP and Balochistan, where attacks often target security personnel and law enforcement agencies, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

A week ago, police claimed to have eliminated five “high-value targets”, including a TTP commander responsible for the deadly Fateh Khel police post attack.