Pakistan hostage crisis: Even after two days, the Taliban militants seized a counter-terrorism centre and took some people as hostages in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, there was no breakthrough achieved. Notably, the Taliban militants who were lodged in a CTD jail snatched an AK-47 rifle from an official and freed other militants detained in the same prison. They killed two of the policemen while several others were still under the grip of the militants.
This prompted authorities to put the Army's special forces on alert. However, the situation in Bannu Cantonment remained tense as police and security agencies cordoned off the CTD compound from all directions and asked residents to remain indoors. Mobile services in the cantonment and the surrounding areas were also suspended, officials said.
Earlier on Sunday, video clips of the incident also went viral in which one of the militants was allegedly seen holding a security official at gunpoint while another video shows a security official seriously injured.
TTP claims police officials have inhuman attitudes
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains steadfast with the demand of wanting the safe passage of the TTP prisoners either to South or North Waziristan tribal districts. It said the attitude of the security forces since the beginning of the standoff indicates that they are not willing to accept their demands and are adamant about launching operations.
A TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, said on Monday that they took this step after reports of inhuman attitudes of the security officers with their prisoners in the CTD police station. The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, last month called off a ceasefire agreed upon with the federal government in June and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.
Militants kill a security official in another attack on police station
Meanwhile, at least 50 militants stormed into a police station in Khyber Paktunkhwa province early on Tuesday injuring a police constable, police said. The incident took place around 1 am on Tuesday in Wana, situated in the tribal district of South Waziristan. “More than 50 militants stormed into the police station and opened fire, injuring a constable. They took away ammunition, weapons and other equipment," the district's chief police officer said. One of the militants was killed in the retaliatory fire. The rest have managed to flee, police said. A search operation is currently underway to nab the culprits, police added.
(With inputs from PTI)
