Five Pakistani security personnel killed in raid to reclaim police station from Taliban militants

Pakistani Taliban issue orders to stage attacks across country after calling of ceasefire

Pakistan lamented five security personnel killed in a two-day-long tense standoff with Taliban militants who captured a counter-terrorism centre in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan military on Wednesday confirmed that 25 terrorists who had taken the centre under control were killed, two were arrested, and seven surrendered.

The army reduced the number of Taliban militant fatalities from earlier 30 given by defence minister following the raid on the compound.

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif condoled the deaths of the security personnel killed in Bannu and acknowledged the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan.

“Resurgence in terrorism poses a renewed threat to our national security,” Mr Sharif said in a tweet. “Our valiant security forces are fully capable of dealing with this threat.”

“I pay rich tributes to our brave sons of the soil who took part in Bannu operation. May Allah accept the sacrifices of our martyrs.”

On Sunday, at least 35 members of the Pakistani Taliban who were detainees at a highly fortified compound overpowered jailers and captured the facility, taking civilian and security forces hostages.

The militants were members of Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of Islamist and sectarian bodies separate from the Afghan Taliban. They demanded safe passage to Afghanistan in return for the release of the police and military intelligence officers.

On Tuesday morning, Pakistan security forces launched a raid inside the compound after talks failed to resolve a two-day standoff.

Giving the first detailed account of the raid, Army spokesperson major general Ahmed Sharif told Geo News that two security personnel were killed during the raid and two others were killed on the day when militants first took over the compound.

Another security personnel who was taken hostage by the militants was also killed.

He said on 18 December a militant was able to first overpower his interrogator with a brick and seize his weapon. Later other militants at the centre broke into a storeroom where confiscated weapons had been stored.

“We tried very hard to get them (militants) to surrender unconditionally. They weren’t ready,” Major General Sharif said, adding that they wanted safe passage to Afghanistan, which was rejected by authorities.

Ten soldiers, including three officers, were also injured, he said.

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday claimed all of the militants had been killed and all hostages rescued, but later clarified that the army would provide the final figures and details of the operation.

A major security challenge is appearing to emerge in Pakistan years after Islamabad claimed success in its counter-terror operations in the tribal areas since 2009 to drive out local and foreign Islamist militants.

On Monday, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan issued orders to its militants to stage attacks across the country after they called off the ceasefire agreed with the government in June.

“As military operations are ongoing against mujahideen in different areas [...] so it is imperative for you to carry out attacks wherever you can in the entire country,” a statement by the group to its members said, according to Dawn newspaper.

The TTP has ramped up attacks in recent weeks since announcing the end of an Afghan Taliban-brokered ceasefire with Islamabad last month.

In a statement to state-run Radio Pakistan, Mr Sharif said: “Attempts to spread chaos in Pakistan through terrorism will be dealt with iron hands.”

“I condole the shahadat (martyrdom) of Subedar Major Khurshid Akram, Sepahi Saeed and Sepahi Babar. May they live in eternal peace. Because of these sacrifices does Pakistan live,” he added.