Rawalpindi narrowly escaped a major catastrophe today following a fierce gun battle between Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officers and militants near Chakrial. Three militants affiliated with the group Fitna al-Khawarij were killed in the exchange of fire, while two others managed to escape.

According to a CTD spokesperson, the encounter occurred during an intelligence-based operation to apprehend the militants. The militants opened fire on the CTD team, resulting in a shootout. Three militants were killed, reportedly by friendly fire from their own group, while two others escaped.

The spokesperson stated that the authorities recovered suicide vests, safety fuses, rifles, IEDs, ammunition, and explosive materials from the slain militants. A search operation is underway to apprehend the two fugitives, with CTD teams maintaining a blockade near Chakrial.

The CTD spokesperson added that the process of identifying the deceased militants is ongoing, and confirmed that the militants had finalized plans for a large-scale attack on Rawalpindi.

It is noteworthy that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had issued a threat alert regarding potential terrorist activities by Fitna-e-Al-Khawarij during the PTI’s November 24th protest. NACTA warned of the possibility of terrorist attacks by this group in major cities, specifically mentioning the potential for attacks during the PTI’s planned demonstration.