Peshawar, June 30: Four terrorists were killed in two separate operations conducted by security forces in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said on Monday.
Two terrorists, carrying a bounty of Rs 5 million each, were killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Teri Mangal area of Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan, on Monday, officials said.
The deceased, identified as Hafeez-ur-Rehman and Wajid Gul, were wanted in connection with the 2023 killing of five school teachers in Teri Mangal. Both carried a bounty of Rs 5 million each, announced by the provincial government in July 2024.
During the exchange of fire, a local civilian sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and was shifted to a hospital.
Officials said five suspects were wanted in connection with the teachers’ killings. With Monday’s operation, two have been neutralised, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining three, they said.
In another incident, the counter terrorism department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police eliminated two terrorists during an overnight intelligence based operation in Peshawar city’s Urmar Payan neighbourhood, once home to one of the largest Afghan refugee camps, officials said.
The CTD said the terrorists, a suicide bomber and the handler, were planning a large-scale attack on a sensitive target in the city when its team carried out the raid.
A significant cache of weapons, ammunition, a suicide vest, an SMG rifle, a pistol, and several rounds of live ammunition were recovered from their possession, the official said.
He said Munir Ahmed, the suicide bomber, was being traced by intelligence services since November last year.
The CTD official said Ahmed was a wanted fugitive from Nangarhar in Afghanistan and had crossed into Pakistan from Khost.
The official said a special investigation team was formed to probe the matter.
According to Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Pakistan saw a 5 per cent increase in attacks in May in comparison to April even as militancy in the country largely remained contained despite the regional geopolitical climate.
The PICSS said in its monthly security assessment, May recorded 85 militant attacks, a marginal rise from 81 in April, killing 113 people, including 52 security forces personnel, 46 civilians, 11 militants, and four members of peace committees.
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the most affected provinces, accounting for 82 of the 85 attacks in Pakistan. (PTI)
