BANNU: Four bullet-riddled bodies were found in three separate incidents here on Thursday, police said.

According to police, two unidentified bodies were found lying on the CPEC Circular Road within the limits of Mirakhel police station. On receiving the information, local police and Rescue 1122 teams reached the spot and shifted the bodies to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Bannu for postmortem.

The identity of both the victims could not be ascertained, an official said.

In the second incident, the body of a young man was recovered from an area close to Mandan Park within the jurisdiction of Mandan Police Station. Police and Rescue 1122 shifted the body to the hospital, where the deceased was identified as Zahoor Shah son of Nazar Ali Shah. The Mandan police registered a case against unidentified suspects on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Tahir Ali Shah, and initiated investigations.

Meanwhile, an exchange of fire took place between police and armed attackers in Bizankhel Chowk area of Township. According to police, the Ababeel Squad was conducting a routine patrol when it encountered some terrorists, leading to intense firing between both sides. After receiving information about the incident, a heavy police contingent reached the spot to review the situation.

Police said that during a search operation, body of an unidentified person was recovered.

Police suspected that the deceased might have been abducted by terrorists near Bakhmali Pump. Later, the body was identified as Ziaur Rehman, a resident of Amalkhel.

Police officials said investigations into all incidents were underway.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026