Paramilitary officer, 6 militants killed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A Pakistani paramilitary officer died and six militants were killed on Friday during an operation by security forces against the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGBG) is a faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Militants affiliated with HGBG have been linked to several attacks on Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The operation was carried out in the Shinkai Banda Dallan area of Hangu district, where security forces engaged the militants in an intense gun battle, the officials said.

A Frontier Corps (FC) Thall Scouts officer was killed in the operation, while two other FC personnel suffered minor injuries, they said.

The security forces used quadcopter drones to target militant positions during the operation, resulting in the killing of six militants and injuries to two others, the officials said.

The wounded paramilitary soldiers were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Thall.

Surveillance, search and clearance operations were continuing in the area to eliminate any remaining militants and ensure security, the officials said.