The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has continued to target civilians and civil law enforcement agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), even targeting the homes of policemen in some instances.

In 2024, TTP issued a two-month ‘ultimatum’ to the security personnel, saying they would be targeted if they did not leave their jobs. The statement, predictably, had little to no effect on the police and other security institutions.

On December 13, TTP announced that the deadline had ended and instructed its fighters to begin their attacks. The statement also called upon TTP members to arrest security personnel and loot their homes.

After this statement was issued, a new layer of attacks began against civilians and law enforcement agencies across KP. The attacks even resulted in the deaths of children in some instances.

The first instance of terrorism after the statement was issued was an attack against a polio vaccination team in Banda Daud Shah, Karak district on January 16. It resulted in the death of one policeman, while a polio worker was injured. A day later a military vehicle escorting a polio team was attacked by terrorists in DI Khan. The attack left four officials injured of whom, three succumbed to their wounds.

In one of the biggest attacks of the year, terrorists attacked a military check post in Makeen, South Waziristan, killing 16 soldiers and injuring eight others, including a cook. Various other military targets were ambushed, including a convoy on December 26 in North Waziristan where an officer of Major rank was killed.

While attacks against police continued unabated, the brazenness of the militants reached a new high on December 23 when the Chief of the Ahmedzai tribe Malik Tariq was abducted from Daza Ghundai area of South Waziristan. However, Tariq was released after the intervention of tribal elders. The tribe is one of the biggest in the area.

TTP claimed in a January 5 statement that its targets were only security agencies and asked for civilians to dissociate themselves from military businesses, even asking shopkeepers to stop stocking products from army-affiliated businesses. However, it continued to step up attacks on civilians alongside police.

A police constable and a labourer were killed and two others injured when militants attacked Draban police post in Dera Ismail Khan late at night on December 31. The attack also injured three others.

On the same day, a child was killed when Benazir Income Support Program office was bombed in Azam Warsak, South Waziristan. Also on the same day, five policemen were killed when a roadside bomb targeted a police vehicle.

As the new year began, terrorists also stepped up attacks on the homes of security officials. In Lakki Marwat, gunmen entered a constable’s house and blew up his room after moving his family to another room. On January 16, houses of Frontier Constabulary officials were set on fire in Dera Ismail Khan’s Kot Laloo area. Fortunately, there were no casualties as the officials were on duty then.

On January 3, three military personnel were kidnapped by militants as they offloaded passengers at a checkpoint in Lakki Marwat. Witnesses later saw the officials being taken to the Samandari mountains. Earlier that day a policeman was shot by assailants in Bannu and died on the way to the hospital.

Similarly, on January 23, a police post in Sararogha, Souther Waziristan was attacked by terrorists and four policemen were abducted. The terrorists also attacked the adjoining FC post and made off with arms and ammunition.

Apart from personnel on duty, terrorists also targeted policemen as they returned home after work. In Lakki Marwat, two constables were shot dead on January 6 as they made their way home. A Counter Terrorism Department official was shot dead in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, in what the police described as a targeted killing.

Militants also targeted civilians with no security forces around. In another instance on January 6, a rocket was fired at a football field while a match was in progress, leaving three players injured in KP.

Government installations not related to security were also a frequent target of attacks. In one of the most outrageous instants of the last two months, 16 labourers were kidnapped while they worked at a government building. TTP later released a video showing the laborers of whom eight were soon rescued.

The TTP’s claims of only targeting security forces have failed to materialise in reality. Since its so-called ultimatum ended, TTP has carried out over 30 attacks across KP, many of which directly hit civilians. In terms of security forces, TTP has also gone beyond targeting officials on duty and has gone on to destroy the houses of officials as well. The strategy is built around dampening morale among the security forces, as they take on terrorists in towns and villages across the province.