South Asia

BANNU/SWAT: A terrorist attack on the Chatkekal police post near Jarogo Waterfall in Upper Swat was foiled after police personnel mounted a strong counterattack late on Sunday night, District Police Officer (DPO) Mushtaq Ahmad said. According to police, more than 12 terrorists surrounded the post and opened fire from all sides. The police personnel deployed at the post immediately retaliated with effective gunfire, forcing the attackers to retreat and flee the area. Initial reports suggest that two terrorists were injured in the exchange of fire. Security personnel have intensified surveillance in the area, while further details are being ascertained. The DPO praised the personnel deployed at the post for their prompt response and bravery, saying Swat police remained at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. “Such cowardly attacks cannot demoralise Swat Police. Our personnel know how to respond effectively to terrorist attacks,” he said. The attempted attack came a week after a suicide bombing near the Kabal Police Station in Swat district claimed 17 lives, including seven policemen. The blast took place while a protest against lawlessness was under way at the adjoining Kabal Chowk. On Friday, thousands of people from across Swat district gathered at Nishat Chowk in Mingora to condemn the suicide bombing and to reaffirm their commitment to peace in the valley. Security personnel and law enforcers have been coming under attack in KP, which continues to face terrorism. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies’ (PICSS), security personnel deaths in KP, excluding merged districts, increased from 12 in June to 38 in July and terrorist deaths from 37 to 108, reflecting a rise by 192pc. But civilian deaths fell from 26 to seven, a decline by 73pc. One peace committee member was also killed. One terrorist killed, several suspects held in Bannu Separately, one terrorist was killed and several suspects were taken into custody during a

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PAKISTAN’S security forces are fighting terrorism with commitment and high intensity. From sanitisation campaigns and intelligence-based operations to targeted raids and large-scale engagements, the tempo of action is rising. Yet terrorist violence is not receding. July recorded the year’s highest number of attacks, underscoring the grim reality that the security situation is deteriorating, particularly in KP and Balochistan, despite mounting operational pressure on terrorist groups. The return of violence to areas once declared cleared of terrorism is especially troubling. Last week, Swat suffered a devastating suicide bombing outside the Kabal police station. The attacker struck as participants were leaving the Swat People’s Peace Uprising, organised by residents and civil society groups alarmed by renewed terrorist activity in the valley. Seventeen people, including police personnel and civilians, were killed, while more than a dozen were wounded. Though there is confusion about whether the TTP had targeted the peace rally or the police station, whatever the group’s intentions, the attack raises a significant question about how and why the terrorists are increasing their operational base. Balochistan, meanwhile, experienced one of its worst months of violence in recent years. July saw coordinated, high-impact attacks across Mastung, Lasbela, Ziarat, Kech and Khuzdar. These incidents demonstrated both the geographic reach of armed terrorist groups and their ability to challenge the state simultaneously in dispersed locations. The security response was substantial. According to data maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, 26 anti-militant operations were recorded across Pakistan in July, compared with 24 in June. Conducted mainly by the army, Frontier Corps and police counterterrorism departments, these operations killed 205 terrorists. Eighteen operations took place in Balochistan and eight in KP. In Quetta and the adjoining Shaban and Hanna Urak a

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