LOWER DIR: A gun battle between terrorists and police in the mountainous Barikot Dubando area of Upper Dir district continued on Thursday, with police and terrorists remaining engaged in an operation that began Wednesday night.
Officials said both sides were entrenched in their positions and heavy weapons were being used during the exchange of fire. No confirmed reports of casualties had been received till the filing of this report.
Unverified reports suggested that terrorists had briefly taken some local residents hostage before releasing them. Security forces also carried out limited shelling from helicopters on suspected terrorist hideouts in the area, though no casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, residents from various parts of Upper Dir, including Wari, Nihag Dara, Shalgah, Lar Jam and Ushirai Dara, rallied in support of the police following announcements made through local mosques. Armed volunteers moved towards the affected area as part of a local lashkar .
According to eyewitnesses, the armed volunteers later gathered outside the Deputy Commissioner’s Office and briefly blocked the Dir-Chitral Road, demanding the immediate release of people allegedly held by militants.
Protesters accused the administration of failing to maintain law and order and warned that residents would take up arms to defend themselves if authorities were unable to ensure peace. The road was later reopened to traffic.
Addressing gatherings in Wari and Dir, former provincial assembly members Sahibzada Sanaullah and Malik Behram Khan urged residents to remain peaceful and united. They said the public stood shoulder to shoulder with the police and would not allow the security situation in the district to deteriorate.
Local elders pledged not to provide shelter to terrorists or other anti-state elements and vowed full cooperation with law enforcement agencies against suspicious activities. They said maintaining peace in the district was a shared responsibility of the public and security institutions.
Separately, a joint targeted operation by Upper Dir police and Dir Scouts remained underway in Dubando and adjoining areas within the jurisdiction of Dir City police station.
Police said personnel of the Elite Force, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Bomb Disposal Squad were participating in the operation. Thermal imaging equipment, drones and armoured vehicles were being used to monitor the area.
District Police Officer Aslam Nawaz supervised the operation and reviewed security arrangements. He said action against terrorists, their facilitators and other elements threatening peace would continue until the area was cleared.
Last month, two policemen were martyred and 16 others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with terrorists on Haidari Top, a mountainous area in Lower Dir.
Law enforcers were conducting a search-and-strike operation in the area following reports about the presence of terrorists when they came under a sudden attack from armed insurgents, after which the ensuing gun battle lasted several hours.
