Terror attack: Three civilian workers of army shot dead

Assailants ambush vehicle near dairy farm, escape unchallenged

PESHAWAR: Three civilians working for Pakistan Army were killed when unidentified attackers ambushed their vehicle in the Landi Sarak area of Khazana police station early Sunday morning.

The assailants, who were riding motorcycles, managed to escape unchallenged.

SP Rural Shaukat Khan confirmed that the three men were working for Pakistan Army and they were targeted by motorcyclists near a military-owned dairy farm.

“They were all military employees who used to take milk from the dairy farm. This was their daily routine and everyone travelling in the vehicle was killed,” he said.

The attack took place at 8:15am.

The deceased were identified as Iqbal, Abdur Rehman and Fareed. Their bodies were moved to the Combined Military Hospital.

A security official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that all of the deceased were from Punjab. They had been employed by the army for supplying milk to different units and messes.

Local residents said the victims were travelling in a white Suzuki van bearing Islamabad registration. They informed police who cordoned off the area upon reaching there.

Several suspects were rounded up following a search operation.

“They were attacked on their way to Peshawar city after fetching milk from the (dairy) farm,” said a local resident.

Meanwhile, the Jamaatul Ahrar, a splinter group of the outlawed TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to media houses by its spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.

“This is part of our operation which continues unabated,” says the mail.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2016.