In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly kidnapped 16 employees of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The local police swiftly launched a search operation and managed to rescue eight of the hostages.
The incident took place in Lakki Marwat district, an area frequently affected by militant activity. The workers, en route to the Qabul Khel Atomic Energy mining project, were ambushed by heavily armed militants. After taking the hostages at gunpoint, the attackers set fire to their vehicle before fleeing.
Local police successfully rescued eight hostages, although three of them sustained injuries during the operation, with one in critical condition. Efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages are still ongoing. The TTP has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and released a video featuring the abducted workers.
In the footage, some of the hostages appealed to authorities to meet the group's demands, which allegedly include the release of TTP prisoners from Pakistani jails. Independent verification of the video or the militants' claims is yet to be confirmed.
The abducted workers were part of the PAEC’s mining projects, an organisation dedicated to advancing peaceful nuclear applications in areas such as energy, agriculture, and medicine. This incident highlights the ongoing threat faced by government and civilian workers in regions often targeted by insurgent groups.
The kidnapping comes amid a wider surge in militant activity across Pakistan. Just a day earlier, separatist militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) launched an assault in Balochistan, targeting government offices and a bank in a remote district.
While no casualties were reported, the attack highlights the growing intensity of insurgent operations throughout the country.
Pakistani authorities claim that both the TTP and Baloch insurgents operate from safe havens in Afghanistan, a point Kabul denies.
The TTP, designated as a global terrorist organisation by the United Nations, has recently been identified as Afghanistan’s largest militant group, with thousands of fighters active in the region.
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