Group suspected to be involved in vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks targeting Chinese nationals
PESHAWAR:
Three suspected terrorists were killed, while three police personnel were martyred, during a joint targeted operation by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Elite Force and district police in the Kabalgram area of Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), according to K-P CTD spokesperson Muhammad Ali.
The intelligence-based operation was launched in a remote mountainous area of Kabalgram following confirmed reports about the presence of members of Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), which the CTD described as a serious threat to law enforcement agencies and key national projects, the spokesperson said.
Fitna al-Khawarij is a term used by the state to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the CTD spokesperson, the terrorists were hiding in natural caves with alleged local facilitation. He said the group had previously been involved in vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attacks targeting Chinese nationals and posed a continuing threat to the strategic road corridor near the Silk Road and related Chinese projects.
Security forces encountered the terrorists as they advanced towards their hideouts, triggering an intense exchange of fire. Three terrorists were killed, including Noor Islam alias Salman alias Khog Bacha, a resident of Kabalgram and the alleged ringleader of the group, who carried a bounty of Rs5 million.
One terrorist remains unidentified, while another reportedly detonated an explosive to avoid arrest.
Read: Three policemen martyred in Shangla operation
Following the deaths, other terrorists took cover on a slope, making direct targeting difficult. As CTD and Elite Force personnel advanced to apprehend them, accomplices allegedly launched attacks using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and automatic weapons to facilitate their escape, spokesperson Muhammad Ali said. Security forces responded with retaliatory fire, repulsing the assault.
During the operation, three police personnel — LHC Maqbool Ahmed (No. 438), LHC Fida Hussain and LHC Saeedur Rehman — were martyred. An Elite Force official was injured and is under treatment.
K-P Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said dismantling the network had prevented a planned threat to strategic infrastructure in the region and that a search operation remains underway. He also paid tribute to the fallen personnel, saying K-P Police had always rendered sacrifices in the line of duty.
Chinese nationals involved in regional infrastructure projects have long been targets of attacks. On 26 March 2024, six people, including five Chinese engineers, were killed in a suicide attack in Besham, located 18.8 km from Shangla.
Read more: At least two killed, 17 injured in IED blast in Bannu
An explosive-laden vehicle parked on the roadside detonated as a convoy transporting Chinese engineers from Islamabad to the Dasu hydropower project site passed by.
This was the second attack targeting Chinese workers at the Dasu project.
In July 2021, at least nine engineers working on the Dasu project were killed in a suicide attack in the Kohistan region. Pakistan at the time accused Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies of involvement, though no group publicly claimed responsibility.
