MIANWALI: Four terrorists were killed in an intense gunfight with police following an attack on a police station in Mianwali, a border district between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while an extensive operation is underway to hunt down the fleeing attackers.
"More than 20 terrorists armed with rocket launchers and hand grenades stormed the Chapri Police Station," a police spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that two terrorists were killed in retaliatory fire, while two police officers sustained injuries during the gunfight. After suffering heavy losses, the remaining terrorists fled the scene.
District Police Officer (DPO) Mianwali Akhtar Farooq and other senior officers were also present on the scene, according to the police spokesperson. Meanwhile, a search and clearance operation is ongoing to apprehend the fleeing terrorists.
Punjab Police Inspector General Usman Anwar lauded Mianwali police for thwarting a terrorist attack, vowing to counter all anti-peace designs.
Heavy police contingents cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, with reports of further gun battles involving fleeing terrorists. The police later recovered two more bodies, bringing the total number of killed terrorists to four.
It is pertinent to mention here that the third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90% surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review.
Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan — marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security operations were recorded in the same provinces.
The total fatalities from three quarters of this year have now surpassed the total fatalities recorded for the whole of 2023; the number of fatalities rose to at least 1,534 in the first three quarters compared to 1523 in 2023.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups continue to reorganise and beef up their ranks. Most of the terror attacks remained unclaimed by terrorist or insurgent groups, likely for tactical reasons, as per the report.
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