Intelligence reports suggested that terrorists present in different areas of Lachi were planning a major attack
A photo of CTD personnel. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
At least six terrorists were killed on Sunday in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat during an exchange of fire in a joint operation by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and police, officials said.
Kohat District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi said the operation was carried out after intelligence reports indicated that terrorists were present in different areas of Lachi and were planning a major attack.
Following the information, heavy contingents of CTD and police launched a joint search and strike operation in the area.
According to DPO Elahi, the suspects opened fire as soon as they saw the security personnel. Police and CTD officers returned fire, leading to an exchange in which six terrorists were killed.
Police said weapons were also recovered from the terrorists. The DPO added that the area has been completely cordoned off and a search operation is continuing.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the police and the CTD for their successful operation in Kohat. “I am proud of the courageous men of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police and CTD,” Naqvi said.
“The operations carried out by the police and CTD in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to maintain peace are highly commendable,” the minister added.
On Saturday, six terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation carried out by the K-P CTD in Lakki Marwat. The development came after at least seven police personnel, including the station house officer of Shadi Khel police station, were martyred on Friday when an improvised explosive device targeted a police mobile in Lakki Marwat.
Read: Afghan Taliban cross ‘red line’, warns president
Terrorism is a growing problem for Pakistan, with the number of attacks rising every year since 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitoring organisation. Data from ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022 and over the same period, TTP attacks increased more than sevenfold to 838 from 118.
The federal government has been consistently raising its voice on international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan — a development attested to by the United Nations Security Council.
Last month, a suicide bomber struck the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing 36 people and injuring around 169 others. The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
