Armed men hijack 3 oil tankers, abduct 7 in KP’s Bannu: police

Armed men hijacked three oil tankers and abducted seven crew members from the Tuchi bridge area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Monday, according to the police.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, leaving both provinces in a state of uncertainty. The provincial security situation has also been plagued by lawlessness.

Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Khan Kulachi told Dawn.com: “The incident occurred near Marwat Canal in the Tuchi bridge area and a total of three oil tankers were hijacked and their seven crew members abducted” after the convoy was intercepted while coming from North Waziristan.

Kulachi said that a first information report was lodged at the Baka Khel Police Station and a search operation was being conducted in the area. He added that no one had claimed responsibility or contacted anyone of the abductees’ families for ransom.

Last week, at least one person was killed and three others were injured after armed assailants attacked a jirga in Bannu.

Earlier in the month, a police official embraced martyrdom when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire on him near his house in Ghoriwala town of Bannu district.