K-P Police Kill Terror Suspects Linked To Rescue 1122 Murder
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police said on Saturday that two suspected terrorists linked to the killing of a Rescue 1122 driver were killed during an encounter in Bannu, marking a major development in a case that had triggered concern across the province. The operation was reported from the Miran Shah region as security forces continued intensified action against militant networks in southern K-P.
According to Bannu Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan, an intelligence-based operation was carried out near Khojari in the Circular Road area after police received information about the presence of suspects connected to recent attacks. Officials said an exchange of fire followed, during which two suspects were killed while some of their accomplices escaped from the area.
Police identified the slain suspects as wanted in multiple criminal and terrorism-related cases, including the murder of Rescue 1122 driver Usman Khan. The emergency services employee had been shot dead a day earlier in the Zarghar Mamikhel area, in what authorities described as an unprecedented attack on a rescue worker in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
RPO Sajjad Khan said operations against terrorists would continue without interruption until peace was restored in the region. He also visited the village of police personnel martyred at the Fateh Khel police post and offered prayers, reaffirming that law enforcement agencies would not allow militant groups to weaken public security.
The killing of a Rescue 1122 employee has widened public anxiety because emergency workers are generally seen as neutral service providers who respond to accidents, attacks and medical crises. Targeting such personnel raises fears that militants may be trying to spread fear beyond police and security forces into public welfare services.
Authorities also reported a separate operation in the Sardi Khel area of Jani Khel, where another suspected terrorist was killed by security forces. The back-to-back actions came after a deadly attack on a police checkpoint in Bannu earlier this week, when 15 police personnel were martyred after militants used an explosives-laden vehicle to strike the post.
Bannu and adjoining districts have seen repeated militant violence in recent months, including attacks on police stations, checkpoints, patrols and government-linked workers. Security officials have blamed armed groups operating from difficult terrain and exploiting cross-border movement, while police in K-P have remained on the front line of the counterterrorism response.
The latest encounter is significant for Pakistan’s internal security because K-P has carried the heaviest burden of militant attacks in the country. Continued violence affects policing capacity, emergency response, local business activity, public movement and confidence in state protection, especially in districts already facing economic and social pressure.
The next phase of the operation will focus on tracing the escaped accomplices and dismantling the network believed to be behind recent targeted killings. Police are expected to continue intelligence-led raids in Bannu and nearby areas as authorities try to prevent further attacks on law enforcement and public service workers.