On June 26, 2021, more than 16 labourers, working at a mobile tower site in Kurram Tribal District, were abducted by unknown terrorists, said a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
On June 27, 10 out of 16 labourers were released and the body of one labourer was found. To rescue the remaining abducted labourers, security forces launched a series of Intelligence Based Operations on highly inhospitable terrain under extreme weather conditions, read the statement.
Terrorists were continuously tracked and pursued.
In an Intelligence Based Operation on July 13, 2021, three terrorists were killed and Captain Basit Ali and Sepoy Hazrat Bilal were killed during the rescue operation.
Security forces continued the pursuit and on July 15, 2021, during another exchange of fire, successfully rescued five abducted labourers. The operation is still underway to apprehend/eliminate the remaining terrorists.
“Security Forces are consistently endeavouring to ensure the security and well being of our innocent civilians who have been wholeheartedly supporting the security forces in fighting the menace of terrorism,” stated the ISPR.
Earlier, there were speculations that telecom workers were held hostage by the alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISKP) leader in the region.
