Two militants killed in clash with police in Lakki Marwat
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said a suicide bomber and another suspected militant were killed in a clash at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. A third suspect fled wounded and a search operation is under way.
- A suicide bomber and one other suspected militant were killed at Gandi Chowk, Lakki Marwat.
- A wounded suspect fled and a search operation continues.
- Separately, three policemen were wounded in an attack on a police station in Tank.
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said they killed two suspected militants, one of them a suicide bomber, in a clash at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. A third suspect fled wounded.
According to Express News, a police peace committee acted quickly after receiving information about a suspicious vehicle at the chowk. The suspects opened fire when they saw the police, and two of them were killed in the return fire.
Police and Counter Terrorism Department personnel reached the site in large numbers and began a search operation for the wounded man who escaped. Daily Pakistan reported that at least three police personnel were also wounded in the operation.
Police said the suicide attacker was about to carry out a major attack, which was foiled. Express News reported that sources believe, based on the recovered items, that the group was planning a major act of sabotage.
Police recovered weapons, ammunition, landmines, flags of banned organisations, communication devices and other prohibited items from the militants, according to Daily Pakistan. Express News said weapons and banned-organisation flags were found in the militants' vehicle.
In a separate incident in Tank, Daily Pakistan reported that militants attacked Thana Mulazai the previous night with a drone and heavy firing. Three policemen were wounded: Muharrir Head Constable Ali Ullah, Constable Adnan and Constable Saif Ali. Police and security forces returned fire, and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital for first aid. The area has been surrounded.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said, in words reported by Express News: "آخری دہشت گرد کے خاتمے تک ہماری جدوجہد جاری رہے گی". The IG also announced rewards for the Lakki Marwat police party. The DPO of Lakki Marwat said militants would not be allowed to regroup in the district.
Why it matters
The clashes in Lakki Marwat and Tank point to continuing militant activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which affects the security of residents and travellers in the region.
