Gun battle between terrorists, police in Upper Dir enters second day
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…
Gun battle between terrorists and police in Upper Dir's Barikot Dubando area entered its second day on Thursday. Both sides remained entrenched and heavy weapons were employed in the ongoing exchange of fire. No confirmed casualties had been reported as of the report's filing. Unverified accounts suggested terrorists had briefly detained local residents before releasing them.
Security forces conducted limited helicopter shelling on suspected hideouts, with no reported casualties. Residents from various Upper Dir locales, including Wari, Nihag Dara, Shalgah, Lar Jam, and Ushirai Dara, rallied in support of the police via local mosque announcements. Armed volunteers joined a local lashkar to confront the ongoing battle in Lower Dir, gathering outside the Deputy Commissioner's Office and briefly blocking the Dir-Chitral Road.
Protesters accused the administration of failing to maintain law and order, threatening to take up arms themselves if peace was not ensured. The road was subsequently reopened. Former provincial assembly members Sahibzada Sanaullah and Malik Behram Khan called for residents to remain peaceful and united, emphasizing the shared responsibility of the public and security institutions in maintaining district stability.
A joint operation by Upper Dir police, Dir Scouts, Elite Force, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and Bomb Disposal Squad continued in Dubando and adjacent Dir City police station areas, utilizing thermal imaging equipment, drones, and armored vehicles. District Police Officer Aslam Nawaz supervised the operation, vowing continued action against terrorists and their supporters until the area was cleared.
Last month, two policemen were killed and 16 injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists on Haidari Top in Lower Dir, where law enforcers were searching for militants when they were ambushed.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
