FR Peshawar: Security forces reportedly destroy militant hideouts

Target positions deep within mountain ranges early Sunday morning.

PESHAWAR: Several militant hideouts were destroyed in Hassan Khel, Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar during a security forces operation on Sunday. The operation was launched after midnight on Saturday when a large contingent of the Pakistan Army, armed with mortar batteries, stealthily entered the area and surrounded the hilly terrain.

They are said to have targeted militant hideouts deep within the mountain ranges by early morning. The militants offered some resistance before disappearing into the heavily-forested hills.

“The main focus of the operation was in Malay Tangi and Kar Darra, a mountainous pass in the hills of Hassan Khel,” an elder told The Express Tribune. “Two bases of militants were previously located there, including a court where a qazi used to sit and solve the disputes of locals.” He added the operation was relatively one-sided as the militants disappeared without offering much resistance.

“Militants are without a doubt present in the area, but the panic and terror they once spread is a thing of the past,” he said. Giving details about the latest operation, the elder said it was conducted by foot soldiers, adding helicopter gunships had been used in the past, but not on this occasion.

Another elder said there were 10-15 militants in FR Peshawar and the odd one could be seen once or twice a week in Bazargai. There the outlaws purchase edibles from the market, loaded them on donkeys and disappeared into the hills.

“They do not interfere with the locals and the demands of extortion money have also stopped,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1^st, 2014.