Pakistani Security Forces Arrest 16 Terrorists

Pakistani police forces arrested 16 terrorists planning an attack in the eastern Punjab province.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Punjab said in a statement Thursday that security forces detained the suspects during raids in several cities. The detainees allegedly planned an attack in Lahore, the provincial capital.

The CTD reported that most of the arrested individuals belong to the “Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan” (TTP). Authorities confiscated weapons and explosives from the suspects, who were transferred to a secure facility for further investigation.

Separately, Pakistani police reported a roadside bomb explosion targeting a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers in northwestern Pakistan. The attack, which occurred Tuesday in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed three police officers and injured two others.

Local police official Nasir Khan confirmed the attack, but no group has claimed responsibility. This follows an incident where unidentified gunmen opened fire on police escorting polio workers in Karak, another Khyber Pakhtunkhwa city, killing one officer and injuring a healthcare worker.

These acts of violence coincide with Pakistan’s final polio vaccination campaign of the year, aiming to immunize 45 million children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the deadly and paralyzing virus has not been eradicated. Pakistan has reported 63 confirmed cases since January. The current campaign will continue until December 22.

Polio vaccination efforts often face resistance in Pakistan, with militants frequently targeting police and health workers involved in the campaigns.

The country has seen a sharp rise in armed attacks since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Most attacks are reported in Pakistan’s border provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.