2022 Bannu counterterrorism centre attack and siege

Islamist attack and special forces counter-siege in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2022 Siege of CTD Bannu

Part of the Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Date	18 – 20 December 2022
Location	Bannu Cantonment, Bannu District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan32°59′52.5″N 70°36′00.2″E / 32.997917°N 70.600056°E / 32.997917; 70.600056
Result	Pakistani victory Pakistan regains control of Bannu CTD centre

Belligerents

Pakistan Army

Frontier Corps

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

Units involved

Special Service Group

Strength

Unknown

Casualties and losses

3 killed
15 wounded

25 killed

Bannu Cantonmentclass=notpageimage| Location of Bannu Cantonment in Khyber PakhtunkhwaShow map of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Bannu Cantonmentclass=notpageimage| Location of Bannu Cantt in PakistanShow map of Pakistan

v t e Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North-West Pakistan)
Wana Sunrise Mirali Rah-e-Haq Earthquake Righteous Path Sherdil Angur Ada Black Thunderstorm Rah-e-Raast Janbaz Khyber Pass Rah-e-Nijat Khwakh Ba De Sham Mohmand Neptune Spear Koh-e-Sufaid Zarb-e-Azb Khyber Ghazi Radd-ul-Fasaad Zinghara Bannu American airstrikes Damadola Chenagai Dande Darpakhel Miramshah Baghar China Laghman Shrawangai Nazarkhel Datta Khel Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan: Spera and Shultan Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes (since 2003) Pakistan–United States skirmishes (2008–2012) 2009 refugee crisis in Pakistan

Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(North-West Pakistan)

American airstrikes: Damadola; Chenagai; Dande Darpakhel; Miramshah; Baghar China; Laghman; Shrawangai Nazarkhel; Datta Khel
Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan:

Spera and Shultan

Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes (since 2003)
Pakistan–United States skirmishes (2008–2012)
2009 refugee crisis in Pakistan

v t e Terrorist attacks in Pakistan (since 2001)
Italics indicates attacks resulting in more than 40 deaths ‡ indicates attacks resulting in more than 100 deaths Underline indicates the deadliest terrorist attack/s to date
2001	1st Bahawalpur
2002	1st Karachi
2003	1st Quetta
2004	2nd Quetta 1st Multan
2005	1st Mandi Bahauddin (Ahmadiyya)
2006	4th Karachi Dargai
2007	1st Dera Ismail Khan 1st Charsadda July bombings ‡ 2nd Rawalpindi 5th Karachi ‡ 2nd Charsadda 3rd Rawalpindi (Bhutto assassination)
2008	3rd Charsadda 2nd Parachinar 1st Swat 1st Islamabad 2nd Islamabad 2nd Dera Ismail Khan 1st Wah 1st Peshawar 3rd Islamabad 1st Orakzai ‡ 2nd Peshawar
2009	4th/5th Dera Ismail Khan (January violence) 6th Dera Ismail Khan 2nd Lahore (Sri Lankan cricket) 1st Khyber 3rd Lahore Chakwal 7th/8th Dera Ismail Khan (May attacks) 4th Lahore 3rd Peshawar 5th Lahore Usterzai 4th Peshawar 4th Rawalpindi Alpuri 6th Lahore 5th Islamabad 5th Peshawar ‡ 5th Rawalpindi 6th Peshawar 6th Rawalpindi 7th Lahore 1st Dera Ghazi Khan 1st Lower Dir 6th Karachi
2010	1st Lakki Marwat ‡ 1st Bajaur 2nd Lower Dir 7th Karachi 2nd Khyber 3rd Khyber 8th, 9th & 10th Lahore U.S consulate/Timergarah attack 2nd/3rd Kohat 8th Peshawar 11th Lahore (Ahmadiyya) 9th Dera Ismail Khan 12th Lahore (Sufi) 1st Mohmand ‡ 13th Lahore (Shia) 3rd Quetta 2nd Darra Adam Khel 8th Karachi (CID) 2nd Mohmand 2nd Bajaur
2011	Faisalabad 9th Peshawar 2nd Dera Ghazi Khan 4th Quetta 4th Charsadda 9th Karachi (PNS Mehran) 10th Peshawar 10th Dera Ismail Khan (police station) 4th Khyber 5th Quetta Karachi targeted killings ‡ 1st Mastung
2012	5th Khyber 1st Rahim Yar Khan 1st Kohistan Mansehra 13th Peshawar (airport) 11th Dera Ismail Khan
2013	8th Quetta/3rd Swat ‡ 9th Quetta 10th Karachi Election day Quaid-e-Azam residency 10th Quetta Mardan Nanga Parbat 11th Quetta/17th Peshawar 14th Lahore 5th Parachinar 12th Dera Ismail Khan (prison attack) 11th Karachi 12th Quetta 13th Quetta 18th Peshawar ‡ 19th Peshawar
2014	12th Karachi (Chaudhry Aslam assassination) 1st Bannu 2nd Mastung 20th Peshawar 13th Karachi (Jinnah International Airport) 14th Quetta Wagah border 21st Peshawar (school massacre) ‡
2015	Shikarpur 22nd Peshawar 15th Lahore 14th Karachi 3rd Mastung Attock Camp Badaber Taunsa Sharif 15th Quetta Jacobabad 6th Parachinar
2016	16th Quetta 5th Charsadda (Bacha Khan University) 23rd Peshawar 16th Lahore 17th Quetta 3rd Mohmand 18th Quetta 2nd Khuzdar
2017	13th Dera Ismail Khan 7th Parachinar 17th Lahore 24th Peshawar Sehwan 6th Charsadda 8th Parachinar 18th Lahore 25th Peshawar 4th Mastung 19th Quetta/9th Parachinar Chaman 19th Lahore 20th Lahore 4th Bajaur 20th Quetta 1st Harnai 14th Dera Ismail Khan (Ataullah Shah) Jhal Magsi 27th Peshawar 21st Quetta
2018	28th Peshawar 5th Mastung/2nd Bannu ‡ 15th Dera Ismail Khan 2018 election violence 22nd Quetta 2nd Orakzai 15th Karachi (Chinese consulate)
2019	1st Loralai 2nd Loralai/Panjgur 23rd Quetta 20th Lahore 1st Gwadar
2020	24th Quetta 25th Quetta 16th Karachi (Stock Exchange)
2021	2021 Machh attack 3rd Chaman 26th Quetta (Serena Hotel) 21st Lahore 17th Karachi 27th Quetta 28th Quetta
2022	22nd Lahore 1st Kech Panjgur and Naushki 29th Quetta Sibi 29th Peshawar Sangan 18th Karachi 19th Karachi 1st Miranshah 4th Swat 2nd Lakki Marwat 30th Quetta 2nd Miranshah 3rd Bannu 7th Islamabad
2023	31st Peshawar 20th Karachi Barkhan Bolan Havelian 3rd Lakki Marwat 8th Khyber 31st Quetta Muslim Bagh 32nd Peshawar Zhob 1st N Waziristan Bara Khar 2nd N Waziristan 6th Mastung Hangu 16th Dera Ismail Khan 2nd Gwadar Mianwali Chilas Daraban
2024	2024 Balochistan BLA Gwadar attack Shangla Lakki Marwat 32nd Quetta Kurram

On 18 December 2022, the Pakistani Taliban carried out an attack on a counterterrorism centre in the Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They took the officers hostage until 20 December, when Pakistan's security forces lay siege to the centre, releasing all the hostages and killing 25 militants inside. Two officers were killed during the siege.

Background

Main article: Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

An Islamist insurgency began in 2004 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North-West Frontier Province, which are now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Bannu was bombed in 2014 and 2018.

Initial attack

Escape and takeover

On 18 December 2022, terrorists incarcerated at a Counter Terrorism Department facility in Bannu Cantt, Pakistan managed to escape their cells and held security personnel hostage for over 48 hours.

A policeman and a soldier were injured when the extremists "took over the premises," according to an official source. According to the Provincial government spokesperson the militant demanding the safe passage to Afghanistan via helicopter

They took all the workers of the centre as hostages.

Perpetrators

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reaction

During the press briefing US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, while responding to a question regarding the Bannu situation offers 'assistance' to Pakistan and says Government of Pakistan is a partner when it comes to these shared challenges, including the challenge of terrorist groups inside of Afghanistan.

Siege

Outcome

On 20 December at 12:30 pm, the Special Service Group launched an operation in which all the terrorists were killed and hostages were freed. The CTD compound was cleared by 2:30 p.m.

References

^ "25 militants killed in Bannu CTD operation: ISPR". The Express Tribune. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
"Two martyred as militants seize CTD facility in Bannu". The Express Tribune. 18 December 2022.
Ahmad, Jibran; Mehsud, Saud (19 December 2022). "Hostage talks start after Pakistani Taliban militants seize interrogators". Reuters.
Marwat, Ghulam Mursalin (19 December 2022). "Militants seize part of Bannu CTD centre, take hostages". DAWN.COM.
"KP CTD inefficient at countering terrorism: Report". 2022.
"Pakistan in 'negotiations with TTP' in Afghanistan". 19 December 2022.
Pakistan's forces kill Taliban militants who seized anti-terror centre for three days
"US offers 'assistance' to Pakistan on Bannu situation". 20 December 2022.
Sirajuddin, Ali Akbar (20 December 2022). "All terrorists killed, 2 SSG commandos martyred as operation at Bannu CTD centre concludes: Khawaja Asif". DAWN.COM.
Mehsud, Saud; Ahmad, Jibran (18 December 2022). "Militants seize counter-terrorism centre in Pakistan, take hostages". Reuters.

v t e Pakistani Taliban
Leaders	Noor Wali Mehsud Fazlullah † Hakimullah Mehsud † Baitullah Mehsud † Faqir Mohammed Wali-ur-Rehman † Dadullah † Khalid Mehsud † Omar Khalid Khorasani † Mangal Bagh † Qari Hussain † Sher Muhammad Qusab † Adnan Rashid
Spokesmen	Maulvi Omar (POW) Ehsanullah Ehsan Muslim Khan (POW)
Alleged/claimed actions	Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2006 Dargai bombing Assassination of Benazir Bhutto Kidnapping of Tariq Azizuddin Capture of NATO convoy Battle of Bajaur 2008 Wah bombing Faisal Shahzad 2010 Sikh beheading 2011 Faisalabad bombing PNS Mehran attack Assassination attempt on Malala Yousufzai 2012 Dera Ismail Khan bombing Bacha Khan Airport attack Dera Ismail Khan prison attack Assassination of Chaudhry Aslam Khan 2014 Bannu bombing Jinnah Airport attack Peshawar school massacre Chaman suicide bombing Bannu CTD centre attack Sarband police station attack 2023 Peshawar mosque bombing Karachi police station attack
See also	Drone strikes in Pakistan List of Taliban fatality reports in Pakistan Taliban

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