By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi
LAKKI MARWAT: Police carried out a targeted operation in the forested Sol Camp area of Akhondan near the border of Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts, where two militants were killed and a police constable was martyred during an exchange of fire.
According to official sources, the operation was launched on intelligence reports about the presence of militants linked to a banned outfit. During the action, security forces came under heavy fire, leading to an intense gun battle in which two militants were killed and several others injured.
Officials said that taking advantage of darkness and the dense forest terrain, some fleeing militants managed to escape along with their accomplices.
One of the killed militants was identified as a highly wanted commander, Amir Sohail, also known as Aqabi and Umar Khattab, son of Muhammad Zaman alias Galoon, a resident of Kotka Shah Muhammad in Lakki Marwat. He was wanted by the Counter Terrorism Department in multiple cases, including targeted killings, attacks on police and security forces, bomb blasts and other serious terrorist incidents.
During the operation, Constable Atiq-ur-Rehman of the Frontier Reserve Police showed what officials described as exceptional courage and was martyred in the line of duty.
Following the operation, a heavy contingent of police along with CTD units and armoured personnel carriers launched a large-scale search operation to apprehend the fleeing militants.
The District Police Officer of Lakki Marwat, Nazir Khan, said the police force remained at the forefront in the fight against terrorism and was determined to eliminate militancy completely. He added that all available resources were being used to ensure lasting peace and stability in the district.
