LOWER DIR: Two policemen were martyred, and 16 others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with terrorists on the Haidari Top, a mountainous area located on the border of Laram Valley and Khall here on Wednesday, sources said.

They said law enforcers were conducting a search-and-strike operation in the Haidari Top and Karam areas following reports about the presence of terrorists when they came under a sudden attack from armed insurgents.

The ensuing gun battle continued for several hours, leaving two policemen martyred and 16 others injured. The injured personnel were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Timergara, for treatment.

Hospital and security sources identified the injured as Bakht Bedar, Amir Mohammad, Rehanullah, Naseeb Khan, Muftahuddin, Izzatullah, Mehboob Ali, ASI Asif Khan, Shahab Khan, Razi Mohammad, Habibul Hassan, Jawadullah, Nawab, Luqman Bahadar and Mohammad Nadeem, among others.

Residents claimed that terrorists also set three police vehicles on fire during the clash. The vehicles had reportedly been parked on the roadside as the security forces could not move them further due to the absence of a road in the rugged mountainous terrain.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026