PESHAWAR: Five militants were killed in an exchange of fire with the personnel of the counter-terrorism department (CTD) and security forces on the Azakhel Road within the jurisdiction of the Mattani police station on the outskirts of the provincial capital on Wednesday night, police sources said.
They said that the encounter took place in the Akhun Baba Graveyard area when the CTD and security personnel launched an operation on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area.
The sources said the security personnel ambushed militants and there followed an exchange of fire for almost 30 minutes.
They added that after the firing stopped, a search operation was launched and the teams recovered bodies of five militants.
The sources said that three militants belonged to Maryamzai area, while one each belonged to Sra Khawra and Mattani areas, all located within the jurisdiction of the Mattani police station.
They said that a rocket propelled grenade, a sub-machine gun, pistols and bullets were also seized. When contacted, SP Saddar Division Fida Hussain confirmed the development.
He said that all militants were killed in the exchange of fire with security personnel and that they associated with the TTP’s Huzaifa Group.
“The case is being probed,” he said.
The SP said that the militant group worked directly under the banned outfit’s Salman Siddique Group, which mostly claimed responsibility for terrorist activities in the area.
He said Siddique became the group’s head in the area after its then commander, Abdul Rahim, was killed by law-enforcement agencies in an intelligence- based operation on July 10, 2024.
On Oct 19, six bodies were recovered from the Adezai area. However, it is still not clear who was behind the killings.Meanwhile, a Special Branch employee was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Sufaid Sang area on the outskirts of Peshawar on Thursday, reports APP.
According to police, the incident occurred in Anzari Banda, Sufaid Sang area, where the victim, identified as Yasir, was killed in a firing incident.
Yasir was working as a computer operator at the University Branch police post. The police shifted the body to Khyber Teaching Hospital and registered a case.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026
