BANNU — At least 12 terrorists were eliminated and a retired security official was killed on Saturday during heavy fighting between law enforcement personnel and militants in the Barakzai Akhundkhel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district. The intense gun battle broke out in Miryan tehsil, prompting authorities to deploy additional reinforcements to secure the area. District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi confirmed the militant casualties, adding that four police officers sustained injuries during the targeted operational push.
Bannu Police foil major terror plot in PS Merian area.
8 terrorists killed in operation.
1 official martyred, 1 injured.
IGP Zulfiqar Hameed praises Bannu Police courage. pic.twitter.com/8k5POI7gyV
— KP Police (@KP_Police1) May 23, 2026
Key Highlights
- Twelve terrorists were killed during heavy gun battles with law enforcement in Bannu.
- One retired Federal Constabulary personnel was killed, and four policemen were injured.
- Additional security reinforcements were rushed to Barakzai Akhundkhel to contain the situation.
- The bomb disposal squad averted a separate disaster by defusing a 10kg remote-controlled bomb.
- The clash follows a sharp regional resurgence of militancy targeting security forces.
The violent standoff began when a police peace committee and tactical units engaged a large contingent of heavily armed militants present in the Barakzai locality. According to police sources, the primary police party successfully fought back against the attackers and reached a nearby police station safely before calling in tactical backups to counter the remaining fighters. Hospital officials identified the deceased victim as a retired personnel of the Federal Constabulary. In a separate operation on the same day, the Bannu police successfully averted a major tragedy on the Bannu-Miranshah Road, where the bomb disposal squad safely neutralized a 10-kilogram remote-controlled explosive device planted near the Gul Zaman Mosque.
The fierce encounter comes amid a wider, highly volatile resurgence of terrorism across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The state has aggressively ramped up its counter-terrorism operations following a string of high-profile assaults on law enforcement agencies, including a devastating suicide bombing at Bannu’s Fateh Khel police post earlier this month that claimed 15 lives. Despite strong diplomatic demarches issued by Islamabad urging the Afghan Taliban administration to dismantle cross-border terrorist sanctuaries linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), local security forces continue to face sustained guerrilla activity along the frontier.
