PAKISTANI RAID KILLS ALL TTP HOSTAGE-TAKERS, OFFICIALS SAY

Tue 20 December 2022:

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday confirmed that “all the terrorists” of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who had taken hostages at a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) centre in Bannu were killed in an operation conducted by the Pakistan Army.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Asif said that 33 terrorists were under arrest at the CTD compound and one of them had managed to snatch a gun from an employee after hitting him in the head with a brick.

The defence minister said that a unit of the army’s Special Service Group (SSG) carried out the operation, in which 10-15 of its commandos were injured while two were martyred.

“This operation was initiated on December 20 at 12:30pm by the Special Service Group and all terrorists were killed,” Asif said, adding that the entire CTD compound was cleared by 2:30pm.

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Meanwhile, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a brief statement, said that details of the operation will be shared soon.

Late Sunday, the militants held in the CTD centre took control of the building and took a number of law enforcers hostage. They had demanded safe passage to Afghanistan.

Earlier today, footage aired on TV showed plumes of smoke rising in the air from the CTD compound as the operation was under way. Reuters reported locals as saying they heard explosions coming from the vicinity of the centre.

#بنوں اپریشن: یرغمالیوں کو چھڑانے کے لئے سکیورٹی فورسز کا اپریشن جاری ہے، دھماکوں اور فائرنگ کی آوازیں سنی جاسکتی ہیں pic.twitter.com/wvBsxwWscU

— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) December 20, 2022

The attack on the compound has been claimed by the TTP as the banned outfit confirmed in a statement released on Monday that its members had taken several CTD and security personnel hostages.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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