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In The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska OK

• Two policemen, two civilians also martyred in exchange of fire
• Police defuse 10kg bomb planted near mosque

BANNU: A fierce clash erupted on Saturday between police, a peace committee and terrorists in the Barakzai Akh­undkhel area of Miryan tehsil in Bannu district, leaving at least 25 terrorists dead and several others injured, police said.

Two police personnel and two civilians were martyred in the exchange of fire, while seven policemen and three civilians sustained injuries.

District Police Officer Yasir Afridi told Dawn that more than 25 terrorists were killed during the police operation.

According to sources, the police peace committee received information about the presence of a large number of terrorists in the area and immediately launched an operation. The Lakki Marwat police peace committee also arrived to support the Bannu police.

Terrorists had erected barricades at various points along the routes, which police managed to clear while advancing.

Police sources said that despite intense firing, police personnel safely reached the police station, while additional reinforcements arrived to bring the situation under control.

According to police officials, two key terrorist commanders, Zmari Noor and Abdullah, were also killed in the operation. Local sources said a large number of terrorists were still present in the Barakzai area, keeping tensions high as intermittent firing continued from both sides.

The martyred police personnel were identified as Wahid Khan, son of Shah Baraz and resident of Naib Kaki, and Noorullah, son of Zareef and resident of Baka Khel.

The injured policemen were identified as Wahidullah, son of Ubaidullah and resident of Dheri Gandi Bazaar Ahmad Khan; Shah Bakhtiyar, son of Sardar Khan and resident of Hathi Khel; Sajjadullah, son of Sakhi Zaman and resident of Nar Bostan; SHO Naurang Asmatullah Niazi; Zohaib Khan, son of Dilbaz and resident of Nekam Kaki; Atif, son of Waliullah and resident of Sokari Karim Khan; and Noman Qureshi, resident of Naurang.

The two martyred civilians were identified as retired FC official Raib Khan, son of Zargul and resident of Sardi Khel, and Nasir Khan, son of Baghdad Khan and resident of Akhund Khel Kotka Nazar Shah.

The injured civilians were identified as Mohsin, son of Inayatullah and resident of Akhund Noorar; Bakht Ali, son of Sakhi Sarwar and resident of Khani Kalla; and Safiullah, son of Asmatullah.

Meanwhile, Bannu police also foiled a major act of sabotage after defusing a 10-kilogram remote-controlled bomb planted near Gul Zaman Mosque at Mama Sh Khel on Bannu-Miranshah Road.

The bomb disposal squad carried out a timely operation and safely neutralised the explosive material.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026

• ISPR says ‘intensive negotiations’ resulted in ‘encouraging progress’ towards agreement
• Trump claims MoU on peace deal ‘largely negotiated’, will only sign when ‘we get everything we want’
• Tehran says accord in ‘finalisation’ stage
• Ghalibaf asserts Iran has rebuilt military capabilities during lull in fighting

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir concluded a high-stakes visit to Tehran on Saturday after intense negotiations that produced encouraging progress towards a final understanding between Iran and the United States to end the conflict.

The two-day visit marked the most consequential mediation effort since the direct talks hosted by Pakistan last month. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir had held “high-level engagements” with the Iranian leadership “as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and constructive engagement”.

“The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway to support peace and stability in the region and to reach a conclusive agreement,” the ISPR said in a statement. “The intensive negotiations over the last twenty-four hours have resulted in encouraging progress towards a final understanding.”

FM Munir met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. The statement stopped short of announcing any breakthrough, but midnight media reports suggested that an agreement was within reach.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday night, President Trump said that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal has been “largely negotiated” with Iran and will open the Strait of Hormuz, with details to be unveiled soon. “Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” the US president wrote on social.

Speaking about the negotiations, US President Donald Trump told CBS News that Washington and Tehran were “getting a lot closer” to reaching an agreement. “Every day, it gets better and better,” he said, adding that any potential deal would ensure Iran’s enriched uranium was “satisfactorily handled”, though he declined to elaborate further. “I will only sign a deal where we get everything we want,” he said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, meanwhile, said negotiations had entered the “finalisation stage” of a memorandum of understanding. “The issues that are being discussed at this stage are generally focused on ending the war,” he said. “The issue of ending the US naval aggression and issues related to the release of blocked Iranian assets are among the main issues that are addressed in this memorandum of understanding.”

“Within a reasonable period of 30 to 60 days, the details of these points will be discussed and a final agreement will ultimately be concluded. We are currently in the process of finalising these memoranda of understanding,” he told state broadcaster IRIB.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that some progress had been made on Washington’s dispute with Iran and that the US might have “something to say” on the issue in the coming days. “There’s been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” he told reporters during his visit to New Delhi.

The Iranian comments reinforced growing indications that the current diplomacy was geared towards an understanding meant to stabilise the situation while harder disputes are negotiated later.

Meanwhile, Iran and Pakistan submitted a revised proposal to the United States to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, quoting two Pakistani sources familiar with the negotiations.

According to diplomats, the likely contours of a proposed framework included continuation of the ceasefire, partial easing of the naval blockade, guarantees for maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, limited economic relief and subsequent negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions architecture.

Reporting in Iranian media suggested Tehran could show flexibility on its plan for maritime tolling arrangements, though Iranian officials continued to insist the Strait’s management remained fundamentally a regional matter involving littoral states. That issue has increasingly emerged alongside the nuclear file as one of the central disputes in the negotiations.

Lingering uncertainty

As the talks continued, the military environment also remained volatile. US aerial refuelling operations near Saudi and Emirati airspace continued through the week, signalling that Washington was maintaining operational readiness even as talks intensified.

US President Donald Trump added to the uncertainty by saying he was “solid 50/50” on whether diplomacy would succeed or bombing would resume. Iranian officials, meanwhile, coupled diplomatic flexibility with hardline public messaging aimed at domestic audiences.

Iranian speaker Ghalibaf, who was recently reappointed head of Iran’s negotiating team, warned during his meeting with Field Marshal Munir that Iran had rebuilt its military capabilities during the ceasefire.

“If Trump commits a stupidity and the war starts again, it will definitely be more devastating and bitter for America than the first day of the war,” he said. “We will not compromise on the rights of our nation and country.”

Mr Ghalibaf also accused Washington of violating earlier understandings. “We were negotiating when America started the war and now it says let’s negotiate to end it,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026