Seven cops abducted in Bannu

Seven police personnel were abducted by unidentified armed individuals in the Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The incident occurred at a checkpoint in the former FR Wazir subdivision, near the border of Bannu and North Waziristan.

According to Bannu DPO Zia Ahmed, the incident took place in the remote mountainous area of Ahmadzai subdivision in Bannu. Police have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to locate the abductees.

The kidnapped personnel include Saleem, Aqal Rehman, Maiwa Jan, Roshan, Abdul Malik, Nematullah, and Shad Muhammad.

In September, a sub-inspector of the police was kidnapped from the Narmi Khel area of Bannu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Police told The Express Tribune, at the time, that the incident took place when armed terrorists whisked away SI Sakhi Zaman at gunpoint and shifted him to an undisclosed location.

The Hafiz Gulbahadar-affiliated terrorist group released a picture of the kidnaped police officer in which he could be seen surrounded by masked armed men.

On August 24, three employees of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) were kidnapped at gunpoint from the Baka Khel area of Bannu district.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that these men were carrying diesel in their vehicles when they were intercepted by terrorists and taken away. The terrorists latter released a video of the three men in which they could be seen appealing the government to accept the demands of the kidnappers in order to secure their safe release.

Police said that all the three men hailed from Punjab and they worked for SNGPL in Baka Khel. These workers were whisked away, along with their vehicle, by the militants. The incident caused widespread panic in the locality where terrorists still roam freely.