Dr. Naveed Elahi
During the last two days, Afghanistan based terrorist groups struck twice in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, the southern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in which a total of 15 individuals, including 10 soldiers, were martyred. The attack on a rural health center in Kirri Shamozai, D.I. Khan took place a few hours before the attack on Bannu cantonment, in which terrorists killed five civilians, including women and children, and two soldiers (Naib Subedar Muhammad Farooq & Sepoy Muhammad Javaid Iqbal) during an exchange of gunfire. It is said that Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group, operating from Afghanistan, is responsible for this attack.
Prior to this attack, eight soldiers were martyred in a separate assault, on a cantonment area in Bannu, (15.7.24) where militants initiated an attack by targeting a check post and then attempting to breach the cantonment’s defenses.
Following the attack on D.I. Khan, security forces undertook a clearance operation in the area, which continued into the night with reports of sporadic gunfire. The militants’ incursion into the cantonment area in Bannu involved using an explosives-laden vehicle to breach the perimeter, leading to an intense gun battle that resulted in the death of eight soldiers. The ISPR statement highlighted that this timely and effective response by security forces averted a major catastrophe and saved many lives.
In the aftermath, the local community, particularly traders, expressed their opposition to a military operation in their region, emphasizing their desire for peace and stability. They held a rally and announced plans for further peaceful protests and a grand peace jirga, underscoring their refusal to leave their homes despite the ongoing violence. Their sentiments and interests should be respected and protected. At this juncture, it is essential to employ hearts and minds policy in all counter insurgency operations.
These tragic events drew condemnation from various political figures and international representatives, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister, who condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families. The continued violence underscores the challenges Pakistan faces in its ongoing battle against terrorism, particularly from groups operating from across the Afghan border, as claimed by the ISPR. There are unconfirmed reports of retaliatory attacks by the Pakistan Airforce inside Afghanistan.
Ironically PTI and PTM are conspicuously silent over these sad incidents. The smug Afghan Taliban government is also silent over it. Pakistan has accused them of harbouring these terrorists who orchestrate terrorist attacks with their help and support. Pakistan must formulate and implement a four-pronged strategy to tackle the terrorists, engage the Afghan Taliban, take the locals into confidence and use civil forces including the volunteers from across the country to counter the terrorists in the terror hit urban areas of KP.
The author is Chief Editor of The Strategic Brief
