Exchange of fire leaves senior police officer, 2 wanted Pakistani Taliban members killed

Two Pakistani Taliban members and a senior police officer died in a shootout during a raid on a militant hideout in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Associated Press reported.

Two other police officers were wounded, the article mentioned, adding that the Taliban members were wanted for their involvement in over 20 attacks on security forces.

The terrorist group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allies of the Afghan Taliban, are separate but connected to the group that seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were withdrawing.