Two police brothers killed, third missing after abduction from Bannu mosque

ISLAMABAD: Two police officer brothers were killed and a third brother remains missing after being abducted from a mosque during Taraweeh prayers in the Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local authorities said on Thursday.

The three brothers, identified as Saeed Akhtar, Amjad and Hazratullah, were government employees. Saeed Akhtar worked in the district commissioner’s office, while Amjad and Hazratullah were serving in the provincial police.

The incident occurred at a mosque in the Hassan Khel Sukri Faqir Kili area of Bannu while locals were performing Taraweeh prayers.

Witnesses said 10–12 armed individuals in uniform entered the mosque, tied the brothers’ hands, and forcibly took them away.

Early Thursday, the bodies of Amjad and Hazratullah were recovered from the Marwat Canal area of Bannu, while Saeed Akhtar remains missing.

A spokesperson for the Bannu Regional Police Office confirmed the abductions and killings.

An eyewitness described the attack, saying, “The armed men entered the mosque, captured the three brothers, tied their hands, and took them away.”

In a statement, the police said, “During Taraweeh prayers, terrorists abducted three brothers, including two police officers, from the Sukri Hassan Khel mosque.

“They brutally murdered the two officers while the third brother is still in the hands of the militants.”

The statement added: “The terrorists showed no respect for the holy month of Ramadan, the sanctity of the mosque, or the sacredness of Taraweeh prayers. This tragic event is a clear demonstration of their brutality and anti-Islamic intent.”

The police said security forces are fully mobilized.

DIG Bannu Region Sajad Khan said, “Following effective operations against security forces, terrorists are now targeting soft targets in cowardly attempts, which highlights their weakness and failure. Security agencies are tightening the net around these elements.”

The attack comes amid a recent spike in assaults on law enforcement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Over the past two days, at least seven police officers and one officer’s young son were killed in separate incidents.

On Wednesday, four police officers were shot dead in a patrol attack in the Naway Kili area of Bajaur District, just minutes before Iftar.

The Ababeel Force officers were riding three motorcycles when unknown gunmen opened fire. Two others were wounded, and a search operation was launched immediately.

Separately, in the Lundi Kotal area of Khyber District, a police officer and his son were shot by unidentified attackers. Both later died from their injuries, and their funeral prayers were held at the Shakhs Police Lines in Khyber.

Authorities have described these attacks as part of “cowardly attempts by militants to target soft targets” in the wake of ongoing operations by security forces.

The security situation in Bannu and surrounding districts remains tense, with law enforcement maintaining heightened vigilance.