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Operation in Pakistan's Bannu, Where Militants Took Hostages, Concluded - State TV
Operation in Pakistan's Bannu, Where Militants Took Hostages, Concluded - State TV
Sputnik India
In a dramatic development, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants* who took hostages inside a counter-terrorism center in the city of Bannu, north-western... 20.12.2022, Sputnik India
2022-12-20T18:05+0530
2022-12-20T18:05+0530
2022-12-20T18:05+0530
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The events took place on Sunday and the operation to rescue hostages and disarm the militants took three days.It all started when an arrested TTP militant who was being interrogated at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) center snatched an AK-47 from the police and opened fire, as per local media reports. He managed to free other prisoners held in the building and later on, the group of about 30 militants overpowered the center, taking at least eight people hostage.Following the incident, Pakistan's military forces, including commandos, quickly surrounded the building and an operation was started to resolve the hostage crisis.On Tuesday, Security forces concluded an operation to rescue the hostages, national media reported.The authenticity of the video could not be verified by the independent sources, but it sent shock waves throughout the country.Counter-Terrorism OperationOn Tuesday, the third day of the siege, footage aired on TV showing plumes of smoke rising from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) compound. According to the locals, there were explosions coming from the center as the security forces were trying to free the hostages.The TTP confirmed in a statement on Monday that its members had taken several CTD and security personnel hostages. They also released several videos, calling on Bannu residents, especially the ulema (clerics), to come forward and help in resolving the crisis between the militants and government officials through dialogue.In one video clip, a detainee declared himself ‘innocent’ and said that along with the militants and officials taken hostage, several innocent people were present inside the center.According to media reports, a man, identified as Commander Zarrar, was also present at the site. It was still unclear what he was doing in the CTD center since he was in custody since January 2022.TTP Declares All-Out War in PakistanThe siege comes at an already turbulent time for the country as in recent weeks Pakistan has witnessed a rise in cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. The country officials had even reached out and asked the government in Kabul to take action against the militants.Last week many people were injured when mortars were launched toward civilians near the southwestern Chaman border crossing. Chaman's local security officials blamed the Afghan Taliban** for starting the firing which targeted Pakistani soldiers repairing a damaged border fence at that time.Just before this attack, seven persons were killed, and 16 others wounded in another shelling from the Afghan Taliban in Chaman.On December 18, as many as eight Pakistani soldiers were killed when attacks took place in Bannu and Peshawar, which are one of the most populous cities in the country.These locations are near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province which borders Afghanistan. According to reports, Pakistani soldiers also responded but suffered greater casualties in the exchange.On Sunday, the militants carried out another attack in KP's Lakki Marwat leaving four soldiers dead.Meanwhile, Noor Wali Mehsud, leader of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), gave an interview to CNN, in which he denied getting any help from the Taliban in Kabul, saying that his group was attacking Pakistan from “within its territory”.When asked if he was being secretive about help they were getting from the Taliban, he said, “When we don’t need any help from the Afghan Taliban, what is the point of hiding it?”Warning to the USDuring the same interview the TTP chief warned the US of response in case of any attack on the group’s leadership.He further said that the US was yet to understand Pakistan’s "duplicitous policy." "Pakistan’s history is a witness that it keeps changing directions for its own interests," he added.The leader also blamed Pakistan for violating the ceasefire agreement, forcing the outlawed group to revoke it. He claimed Pakistani forces "violated the ceasefire and martyred tens of our comrades and arrested tens of them."Amid the rising tension between the militant group and Pakistan's government, on Friday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned cross-border terrorism by the TTP or other militant groups would not be tolerated, adding that Islamabad will take direct action against them.*banned in Russia**under UN sanctions
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Operation in Pakistan's Bannu, Where Militants Took Hostages, Concluded - State TV
In a dramatic development, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants* who took hostages inside a counter-terrorism center in the city of Bannu, north-western Pakistan, overran the center by snatching weapons from the police.
The events took place on Sunday and the operation to rescue hostages and disarm the militants took three days.
It all started when an arrested TTP militant who was being interrogated at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) center snatched an AK-47 from the police and opened fire, as per local media reports. He managed to free other prisoners held in the building and later on, the group of about 30 militants overpowered the center, taking at least eight people hostage.
Following the incident, Pakistan's military forces, including commandos, quickly surrounded the building and an operation was started to resolve the hostage crisis.
On Tuesday, Security forces concluded an operation to rescue the hostages, national media reported.
In an earlier video that has gone viral on social media, a militant armed with an assault rifle was heard demanding the Pakistani government to arrange the group's safe air passage to Afghanistan, otherwise, he threatened to kill all the hostages.
The authenticity of the video could not be verified by the independent sources, but it sent shock waves throughout the country.
Counter-Terrorism Operation
On Tuesday, the third day of the siege, footage aired on TV showing plumes of smoke rising from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) compound. According to the locals, there were explosions coming from the center as the security forces were trying to free the hostages.
The TTP confirmed in a statement on Monday that its members had taken several CTD and security personnel hostages. They also released several videos, calling on Bannu residents, especially the ulema (clerics), to come forward and help in resolving the crisis between the militants and government officials through dialogue.
In one video clip, a detainee declared himself ‘innocent’ and said that along with the militants and officials taken hostage, several innocent people were present inside the center.
"The people and army are ours and the [militants] wanted to go outside (the compound) to kill people, but we stopped them," he added.
According to media reports, a man, identified as Commander Zarrar, was also present at the site. It was still unclear what he was doing in the CTD center since he was in custody since January 2022.
TTP Declares All-Out War in Pakistan
The siege comes at an already turbulent time for the country as in recent weeks Pakistan has witnessed a rise in cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. The country officials had even reached out and asked the government in Kabul to take action against the militants.
Last week many people were injured when mortars were launched toward civilians near the southwestern Chaman border crossing. Chaman's local security officials blamed the Afghan Taliban** for starting the firing which targeted Pakistani soldiers repairing a damaged border fence at that time.
Just before this attack, seven persons were killed, and 16 others wounded in another shelling from the Afghan Taliban in Chaman.
On December 18, as many as eight Pakistani soldiers were killed when attacks took place in Bannu and Peshawar, which are one of the most populous cities in the country.
These locations are near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province which borders Afghanistan. According to reports, Pakistani soldiers also responded but suffered greater casualties in the exchange.
On Sunday, the militants carried out another attack in KP's Lakki Marwat leaving four soldiers dead.
Meanwhile, Noor Wali Mehsud, leader of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), gave an interview to CNN, in which he denied getting any help from the Taliban in Kabul, saying that his group was attacking Pakistan from “within its territory”.
“We are fighting Pakistan’s war from within the territory of Pakistan; using Pakistani soil. We have the ability to fight for many more decades with the weapons and spirit of liberation that exist on the soil of Pakistan,” Mehsud said in an interview.
When asked if he was being secretive about help they were getting from the Taliban, he said, “When we don’t need any help from the Afghan Taliban, what is the point of hiding it?”
During the same interview the TTP chief warned the US of response in case of any attack on the group’s leadership.
"America should stop teasing us by interfering in our affairs unnecessarily at the instigation of Pakistan — this cruel decision shows the failure of American politics," Mehsud was quoted as saying.
He further said that the US was yet to understand Pakistan’s "duplicitous policy." "Pakistan’s history is a witness that it keeps changing directions for its own interests," he added.
The leader also blamed Pakistan for violating the ceasefire agreement, forcing the outlawed group to revoke it. He claimed Pakistani forces "violated the ceasefire and martyred tens of our comrades and arrested tens of them."
Amid the rising tension between the militant group and Pakistan's government, on Friday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned cross-border terrorism by the TTP or other militant groups would not be tolerated, adding that Islamabad will take direct action against them.
