Police rescued eight of the 17 workers associated with a mining project, who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Thursday morning, officials said.
talking to dawn.comDistrict police spokesperson Shahid Marwat said: “Around 9am on Thursday, 17 workers, including a driver, involved in a mining project were traveling in a minibus when men stopped them and took them away. of gun on Dara Tang Road in Lakki Marwat. .
“Eight of the kidnapped workers have been recovered, of whom three suffered minor injuries,” he said.
The official added that an operation involving police and security agents was being carried out in the district to recover the remaining workers.
talking to sunrise.com On condition of anonymity, an official at the District Central Hospital (DHQ) confirmed that three of the recovered hostages suffered some injuries and were receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, local and international media reported that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.
Hours after the incident, some videos also emerged on social media platforms in which men, supposedly kidnapped workers, could be seen appealing to the government to accept the militants’ demands and release them.
However, sunrise.com was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Earlier in the day, police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said they killed three militants belonging to the TTP-affiliated Teepu Gull group in a joint operation carried out in Malang Adda area of the district.
Officials said police received information about the presence of a dozen militants in the area, so an intelligence operation was planned.
“As soon as the assault team took position, the militants opened fire,” the officials said, adding that an intense exchange of fire took place between the assault team and the militants.
The slain militants were identified as Shafeeq Nawaz, Muhammad Mujahid alias Jihadyar and Fidaur Rehman alias Anas alias Gul, officials said.
Lakki Marwat has been a hotbed of terrorism and violence since the early 2000s. The region saw a brief respite following security operations, but militancy has re-emerged in recent years.
Attacks have intensified since the TTP broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to attack police and security forces.
Earlier this week, two police officers were martyred after unidentified gunmen attacked them in Jabukhel area of the district. Both police officers died instantly and the terrorists managed to escape on a motorcycle.
In a retaliatory operation, law enforcement and villagers shot dead a terrorist commander.