Senior army officer, two brothers abducted by armed men from mosque in Pakistan

A senior army officer and his two brothers were abducted by suspected militants from a local mosque in Dera Ismail Khan district on Wednesday, according to police.

As per reports, the army officer was working at the Cantonment Board Head Office while his two brothers were employed at National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). 

Recently, Ameer Khan, who was a local teacher and father of the kidnapped brothers, passed away. His children came to their hometown on August 27 to attend their father's funeral.

The three brothers were identified as Muhammad Asif, Khalid Khan, and Fahad Nawaz, Dawn News reported.

After the burial of their father, they gathered at a nearby mosque in Mohalla Khadr Khel of Kalachi tehsil to receive condolence from family and friends.

A group of eight to ten armed assailants arrived on motorbikes and forced their way into the mosque. After a complete search of the identities of the men present there, they abducted three brothers and their naib-tehsildar nephew.

Local police confirmed the incident, but top police officials have not commented. The incident sparked fear in the district.

DI Khan district has experienced a surge in criminal activity in recent times. Commercial banks have ceased operations in DI Khan’s Daraban tehsil.

On August 1, armed suspects hijacked a van carrying Rs40 million belonging to a private security company in Kalachi. The hostages, including guards, drivers, and crew members, were later released, but the gunmen torched the van and escaped with the money.

On April 27, South Waziristan District and Sessions Judge Shakirullah Marwat was kidnapped from the Kalachi area, but he returned home shortly after the abduction.