KHYBER/LAKKI MARWAT: Two security personnel were martyred and at least seven others were injured in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
One soldier laid down his life while seven others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle at a security post in Tirah Valley of Khyber district.
Separately, a Frontier Corps man was martyred by sniper fire at a security post near the Afghan border, while two terrorists were killed in a gun battle with police and volunteers from a local peace committee in Lakki Marwat.
There was no official statement from the military on either incident, and conflicting reports emerged about the Tirah incident, with one source claiming no loss of life other than the suicide bomber.
According to local sources, a suicide bomber allegedly affiliated with militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, detonated an explosive-laden vehicle at the main gate of a fortified checkpoint near the Momand Ghuz locality of the Zakhakhel area in the Tirah Valley of Khyber at around 10am.
Sources said the explosion claimed the life of a soldier and injured seven others, who were later rushed to a medical facility. A portion of the building, which sources described as a former peace committee leader’s house, was also damaged in the bombing.
However, official sources provided a different account, stating that security forces had foiled the terrorist attack in Tirah and destroyed the vehicle-borne suicide bomber before it reached its target. It said the suicide bomber was killed and no other loss of life occurred.
On the other hand, locals said a gun battle followed the explosion and lasted for hours, with forces using mortars to return fire. A mortar shell even landed on a house in the Peer Mela locality, injuring two persons, locals claimed.
A social media post said the IMP’s Qari Umar Afridi of Lashkar-i- Islam faction claimed responsibility for the attack, though this could not be independently verified.
Separately, a Frontier Corps personnel was gunned down by a sniper near the Char Bagh area of Landi Kotal.
Official sources told Dawn that an FC man from the Khyber Rifles Under Command 146 Wing was martyred by sniper fire from the Afghan side when their forces opened fire at the Sheen Kandaw post amid a dispute over border alignment and the establishment of a new Pakistani checkpoint intended to curb militant movement and smuggling.
Two terrorists killed
In Lakki Marwat, meanwhile, at least two terrorists were killed and several of their accomplices wounded during a gun battle with police and armed volunteers from a local peace committee in the Paharkhel Pacca area, officials said.
An official said the operation was launched following intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists belonging to Commander Haroon group of the Fitna-al-Khawarij.
“An intense exchange of fire took place between police and terrorists wherein light and heavy weapons were used from both sides,” the official said.
Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025