Story highlights

• Militants take hostages, demand ‘safe passage’ to Afghanistan
• Cantt residents asked to stay indoors
• Internet service was reported to be shut in Bannu city, Cantt area
• ‘Holiday’ declared in schools, offices

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has warned the terrorists of strict action if they did not lay down arms as the counter-terrorism department (CTD) in Bannu remains besieged by militants even after the passage of 24 hours.

“Elements involved in terrorist activities will not be treated lightly,” KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif in a series of tweets on Monday.

Saif, who in a statement on Sunday claimed that the operation would be completed after a few hours, said that the beleaguered terrorists wanted to get the sympathy of the public through video messages.

Internet service has been shut down in Bannu city and the cantonment area after videos of the hostages were dropped on social media. The district administration has announced a holiday in schools and offices in the area in view of the situation.

Saif’s thread was followed by a claim that the situation in Bannu Cantt was under the control of police and security agencies. He advised the people to don’t worried and not pay heed to rumours. It was not an attack from outside, he reiterated, adding that under custody terrorists grabbed the arms of terrorists to take some police personnel hostage.

“The government will not fulfill any demand of terrorists.”

Imran blams govt for ‘failing’ to control terrorism

Former prime minister Imran Khan has blamed the federal government for increased in terrorist attacks against the security forces, receiving flak from the coalition party rulers.

“Apart from running our economy to the ground, this Imported govt has failed to deal with the 50% increase in terrorism in Pak with incidents from Chaman to Swat to Lakki Marwat to Bannu; They have also failed to deal with attacks from the international Pak-Afghan border by security forces of a ‘friendly’ Afghan govt,” he said in a Twitter thread.

It merits here to mention that the PTI is the ruling party in KP since 2013 and the Imran-led government had started talks with the outlawed TTP that was continued by the incumbent government. However, the shaky ceasefire agreed upon with the government was called off in November.

“While our soldiers, police & local ppl are giving daily sacrifices with their lives, the worst part is that this increasing terrorist threat & attacks from across our Western border are finding no space in the discourse of this govt of a cabal of crooks,” Imran said.

The PTI chief alleged that the federal government was interested in “NRO2” and its preservation. He reiterated that elections were the solution to stabilise the economy and political situation.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal reminded Imran that the PTI was still in power in KP and slammed it for “always” making excuses for covering its apparent criminal negligence.

A senior government official in Bannu told AFP that hostages were still being held after a failed operation to free them.

“During the interrogation, some of them snatched guns from the policemen and later took the entire staff hostage,” he said.

“They want us to provide them safe passage via a ground route or by air. They want to take all the hostages with them and to release them later on the Afghan border or inside Afghanistan.”

Bannu CTD centre ‘still under siege’ 20 hours after hostages taken

Suspected terrorists have taken control of a counter-terrorism department (CTD) centre in Bannu in an attempt to negotiate safe passage to Afghanistan. The siege began on Sunday and continued into Monday.

“Bannu Cantt has been sealed due to terrorist infiltration. Heavy firing. Residents of Bannu Cantt have been requested to stay where they are and not to open their doors till further orders,” said the message from a CTD source at the spot, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The message was shared via text message.

The internet service has been cut off in the cantonment.

As can be expected, there have been conflicting reports about the hostage-situation, which began on Sunday at 4pm. The authorities shut down the internet at around 6pm on Sunday as a video of the staff taken hostage was posted on social media.

There were reports of casualties after security forces and the suspected terrorists exchanged fire.

According to updates received by 12pm on Monday, negotiations have started amid the ongoing operation to clear the centre.

Travellers have been advised not to use the Bannu-Miranshah road as it has been sealed.

How did it start?

Around 30 suspected militants, who were detained at the CTD facility, took over the compound after snatching guns from the policemen. At least three personnel were injured, as per initial reports, when the terrorists opened fire.

They are reported to have taken around 10 staff members hostage in an attempt to demand safe evacuation to Afghanistan, said the CTD source. Two other officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, corroborated the information that the militants were looking to negotiate safe passage to Afghanistan. The affiliation of the militants was not immediately known.

“It’s not clear if the terrorists attacked from outside, or if they snatched the ammunition from staff inside while being interrogated following their arrest,” Bannu police spokesman Muhammad Naseeb told Reuters on Sunday. He said the compound had been surrounded by security forces.

A video that surfaced on social media shows armed men in shalwar kameez speaking “Banuchi”—the local accent of Pashtu spoken in the district—then Urdu, giving the impression that they are not from Afghanistan.

Twelve Rescue 1122 ambulances have been rushed to the cantonment. A public holiday was declared today (Monday) for all offices and schools within Bannu Cantt and the district administration and courts are also closed.

The government’s version

No one has attacked the CTD police station, KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif said in a series of tweets, around four hours after news of the attack surfaced.

Some of the accused in the station were under custody on the suspicion of terrorism, he said, adding that they tried to snatch weapons from the security personnel at the station.

“The situation is under complete control, the security forces have surrounded the area,” Saif said, “The operation against the miscreants is going on. After some time the operation will be completed.”

Aaj News made an unsuccessful attempt to contact the public relations officer of Bannu RPO and RPO Office.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed that the suspected terrorists included their “mujahideen”. They said they grabbed the police weapons and took them hostage.

The banned TTP claimed responsibility for the incident and demanded authorities provide safe passage to border areas. “Otherwise, the entire responsibility of the situation will be on the military,” the TTP said in a statement.

A video posted to social media, which the government official confirmed to be from the scene, showed a group of armed men with long beards, with one threatening to kill all the hostages.

He said they had at least eight hostages, including police and military staff.

The TTP emerged in 2007 and carried out a horrific wave of violence in Pakistan that ended with a military crackdown from 2014.

Attacks are on the rise again since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul last year but have mostly targeted security forces.

A shaky months-long ceasefire agreed with Islamabad ended last month.

In 2012 and 2013, dozens of heavily armed Taliban fighters freed more than 600 prisoners, including hardcore militants, during two sophisticated overnight attacks on a jail in Bannu town.

Given the sensitivity of the unfolding events, we have withheld the names of Aaj News reporters and security personnel and details of casualties