Militants from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched an attack on law enforcement officers near Mir Ali Bypass in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali area on Monday night, according to a statement from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.
Personnel from the counter-terrorism department (CTD) were transporting prisoners from Miranshah to Bannu when militants fired on their convoy, killing three inmates. Law enforcement officials retaliated, killing at least four militants and causing five to six others to flee.
The slain militants were wanted in connection with numerous heinous crimes, including targeted killings of security personnel and the murder of a constable.
A clearance operation is currently underway in the area to apprehend the fleeing militants.
Previously, the agency claimed to have killed a suspected TTP terrorist in an encounter and detained 11 members of banned organisations in various cities during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across Punjab.
Pakistan has been struck by a surge of terrorism, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in Balochistan and Mianwali, a Punjab town bordering KP. The wave of terrorism has even reached the outskirts of Islamabad.
January 2023 was the deadliest month since 2018, with at least 44 attacks nationwide resulting in 134 deaths — a staggering 139 percent rise — and 254 injuries.
