Islamic terrorists kill 16 security personnel – DW – 12/21/2024
Sixteen security personnel were killed in an attack by Islamic militants in northwestern Pakistan early Saturday, officials said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Hidayat Ullah told Reuters that the attack on the security forces’ post took place at 2 a.m. (2100 GMT on Friday) and that the attackers used light and heavy weapons. “Search operations are underway in the area,” he said.
A senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the siege began after midnight and lasted about two hours as about 30 militants attacked the mountain outpost from three sides.
“Sixteen soldiers were martyred and five were seriously injured in the attack,” he said. “The terrorists set fire to wireless communication equipment, documents and other items present at the checkpoint.”
Pakistani Taliban has taken responsibility for the attack
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, but put the death toll among security personnel at a higher rate.
“At least 35 security personnel were killed and 15 injured in the attack,” the group said in a broadcast on its WhatsApp channel. He did not say whether any of his fighters were killed or not.
The TTP said the attack was carried out “in retaliation for the martyrdom of our senior commanders”. The group also claimed to have seized a cache of military equipment, including machine guns and a night vision device.
Islamic insurgency in Pakistan
Pakistan has been grappling with a resurgence of terrorist violence in its western border areas since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The TTP is a conglomeration of various Sunni Islamist militant groups that have been fighting for a long time to overthrow the government and replace it with a strict Islamic system of governance.
It is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, but shares a similar ideology with its Afghan counterparts and pledges loyalty to them.
Islamabad accuses Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out terrorists who attack Pakistan from across the border.
dh/kb (AFP, Reuters)