On Sunday, Taliban took over the Bannu Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) after they managed to break out of the lockups and held security personnel hostage.
An official source said militants “took over the compound” and fired at the security personnel, injuring a policeman and a soldier, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reprted.
Police and security forces rushed to the spot and an operation was underway to free the hostages, as per the report.
Earlier, sources said that negotiations were underway with the militants while commandos of the Pakistan Army and police were deployed for an operation.
A resident in Bannu, quoted by the newspaper, said gunshots and explosions were heard in the cantonment area.
Conflicting reports were shared on social media with many users claiming that terrorists had attacked the CTD facility from the outside.
However, the Police has denied such reports and added that some detained ‘miscreants’ had tried to snatch weapons from security personnel.
A video clip also went viral in which allegedly one of the militants was holding a security official at gunpoint. The alleged militant demanded a “safe passage” to Afghanistan and warned of dire consequences if the demand was not met.
Another alleged militant, whose face was not visible, was heard saying eight to ten security personnel were in their captivity.
He said thirty-five of his associates — whom he called fidayeen — who were detained had managed to break free and demanded Pakistan ensured their departure to Afghanistan via air.
“We broke the jail and the security men are in our captivity and they will be released safely if we are provided a safe exit,” he said.