Taliban militants claim responsibility for last Tuesday attack

 The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for carrying out an attack last Tuesday and claimed that they targeted a Military intelligence official, who died after being hospitalized for five days.

Taking to Twitter, Midstone Centre for International Affairs (MCIA) senior associate Shemrez Nauman Afzal said, "Note that #TTP spokesman's claim said "Tuesday past week" at the start of the statement. This could imply that the claimed attack took place on Tuesday 13th Dec, and after 5 days of hospitalization, the targeted person (unidentified MI official) expired on 17th Dec."

However, earlier, the MCIA journalist claimed that the attack took place on December 6.

"#TTP spokesman claims responsibility for assassinating alleged #Pakistani intelligence operative from Military Intelligence (MI) in Kohat last Tuesday (6th Dec); alleges MI operative expired after five days of hospitalization, and was "wanted" by militants for "various crimes," he added.

Afzal shared the TTP's post "Tuesday last week, Mujahideen of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) successfully targeted an MI official who was wanted by the Mujahideen for several crimes in Ghulam Bandai, Pindi Road of District Qubat of Wilayat Qubat. He died after being injured."

Earlier, in a Sunday attack, Pakistani militants seized a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Bannu district and took hostages to negotiate with government authorities, local media said.

Some 25 arrested members of banned terrorist organizations were under arrest at Bannu police station when they took the guns from seven security personnel on duty and took them hostage, a police officer in Bannu told Pakistan's Dawn while asking not to be named.

Requesting anonymity, the senior Pakistan officer said that various personnel was still in a hostage situation.

The provincial government claimed no one had attacked the police station but added that some suspects in custody under suspicion of terrorism tried to snatch weapons from security personnel deployed on-site, the report said.

"The situation is under complete control. Security forces have cordoned off the area," he said, adding that an operation was underway and would be completed in a while.

This development comes after militants attacked KP's Lakki Marwat on Sunday, leaving four policemen dead.

The Pakistani publication said no group has taken responsibility for the attack so far. But the police suspect the involvement of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The latest attack comes amid a surge in militancy across Pakistan after TTP called off its ceasefire agreement with the government on November 28 and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country.

In a statement, TTP had said that the outfit took the decision after "a series of non-stop attacks were launched by the military group in Bannu's Lakki Marwat district".