Pakistan hostage crisis: Nearly three days after the Talibani militants seized the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) building in Pakistan's Bannu, it has been freed on Tuesday following a military operation. According to a report by the Pakistani English daily, Dawn, at least 25 Afghani militants were killed while three security forces lost their lives during the operation.
The major development came following a complete seizure of the CTD building by the detained Talibani militants. As per Pakistani media, one of the detained militants snatched an AK-47 gun from an interrogator and subsequently freed his other inmates. Later, they took hostage several CTD officials and demanded a free escape to Afghanistan.
Pakistan rejects the demand of Talibani militants
However, the CTD officials denied their demand and started an operation against the militants. Speaking to Geo News, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif said that 33 terrorists were under investigation in the CTD compound on December 18.
"Our forces surrounded the entire area and thwarted any attempt by the terrorists to escape. In the last 48 hours, there were all-out attempts for an unconditional surrender from the terrorists who were demanding safe passage to go to Afghanistan," Dawn quoted the general as saying.
According to the top military official, at least 25 militants were eliminated and three security personnel were killed during the incident.
Earlier on Sunday, video clips of the incident also went viral in which one of the militants was allegedly seen holding a security official at gunpoint while another video shows a security official seriously injured.
TTP claims police officials have inhuman attitudes
Earlier, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains steadfast with the demand of wanting the safe passage of the TTP prisoners either to South or North Waziristan tribal districts. It said the attitude of the security forces since the beginning of the standoff indicates that they are not willing to accept their demands and are adamant about launching operations.
A TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, said on Monday that they took this step after reports of inhuman attitudes of the security officers with their prisoners in the CTD police station. The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, last month called off a ceasefire agreed upon with the federal government in June and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.
