16 workers abducted from uranium mining site in Pakistan's northwest

At least 16 laborers were abducted by unidentified armed men from a uranium mining site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, officials said on Thursday.

Lakki Marwat Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Abdullah confirmed to Nukta that security forces have launched operations in the Qabul Khel area to rescue abductees.

"So far, eight abductees have been recovered, three of whom are injured. The operation is ongoing," he said.

Abdullah said police and security agencies are working to trace the abductees. “Tribal elders have been engaged to mediate, and we remain hopeful for the safe recovery of all victims,” Abdullah stated.

The injured individuals, including Habibullah, Abdur Rehman, and Hazrat Ali, have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital.

"Abdur Rehman and Hazrat Ali sustained leg injuries and are in stable condition, while Habibullah, who was injured in the face, is in serious condition," security force sources said.

The recovered individuals have been identified as Muhammad Javed, Muhammad Anwar, Muhammad Israr, Noman Ali, and Muhammad Yousuf.

The attack occurred around 9 a.m. when a vehicle transporting workers to the Qabul Khel Uranium (Atomic Energy) Project was intercepted, according to Naqeeb from the Deputy Commissioner’s Control Room. The assailants set the vehicle on fire and took the laborers into a nearby forest.

The names of those abducted include Hafiz Basheer, Maazullah, Muhammad Anwar, Yousaf, and Ehsanullah, among others.

“The attackers intercepted the vehicle, drove it into a nearby forest, set it on fire, and abducted all the passengers,” a DC Control Room official, Naqeeb, told Nukta.

TTP claims responsibility

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), commonly known as Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the abduction through two videos shared online. In the footage, three of the abductees—Hafiz Basheer, Maazullah, and Muhammad Anwar—are seen pleading with the government to fulfill the captors' demands to secure their release.

This is not the first such incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Last year, TTP operatives abducted military officers and their relatives in Dera Ismail Khan, later releasing them “unconditionally.” Similarly, armed groups kidnapped 13 laborers in Tank and seven policemen in Bannu in separate incidents. Those abductees were released under unclear circumstances, often following tribal mediation.

Govt fails to maintain control

Local journalist Anwar Zaman criticized the government for failing to maintain control in the region. “Southern districts like Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan are neglected and left at the mercy of criminals. After sundown, the police retreat to their stations, leaving the population vulnerable,” he told Nukta.

A travel advisory issued last year by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department highlighted the growing risk of kidnappings and killings in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions. The advisory urged enhanced security measures to combat escalating threats in the region.

Strategic challenges

Lakki Marwat district is one of several areas close to the border with Afghanistan that has experienced a spike in militancy over the past several years.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan government of allowing militancy to flourish in the border regions, a charge that Kabul denies.

The Pakistani Taliban is the most active militant group. It regularly targets security forces, but also carries out kidnap for ransom operations.

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, is charged with researching atomic energy and its uses in the fields of agriculture, medicine and industry.

A district official who asked not to be named confirmed that the site was being mined for uranium.

*With additional input from AFP