Four cops die in targeted attacks

Three policemen, including an ASI, were killed in Balochistan

DI KHAN/  QUETTA:

Four policemen lost their lives in two separate attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan provinces on Friday.

In Quetta, three policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), were martyred when miscreants opened fire at a police mobile near Eastern Bypass.

Police said that the vehicle was on patrol as per its daily routine when it came under attack, as a result an ASI and constable died on the spot. One policeman was left seriously injured who was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The attackers managed to escape after committing the crime.

In a separate incident a police constable, who was on polio security duty, was gunned down by unidentified miscreants in Qayyum Nagar, DI Khan district of K-P.

Police told The Express Tribune that Constable Khan Bahadar was escorting polio vaccination team when two bike riders attacked him.

“They used a 9mm pistol and Khan Bahadar was shot four times. They also snatched his official AK-47 and fled mistaking the constable for dead,” said an official of police, adding that a contingent of police was sent to the area which found the constable unconscious and shifted him to the nearby hospital.

“After battling for life for several hours he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital,” said the official.

A door-to-door search operation was conducted in the area but the attackers managed to escape taking full advantage of the confusion caused by their attack. Khan Bahader was an ex-serviceman who had been recruited in police on contract basis.

In yet another incident, an under-construction market was attacked with a hand grenade in Jamrud, Khyber tribal district last night by miscreants.

Police said that the grenade landed in a shop and damaged it. The loud explosion caused widespread panic in the area. The attackers escaped unchallenged after committing the crime.

It may be noted here that two days ago three people were injured when their motor car was hit by an IED in Bakka Khel, Bannu,. The vehicle was completely damaged in the attack and the three injured are also in critical condition.

In recent months, attacks on police have increased manifold in the province, including the tribal districts. Police constables on polio security duty have been targeted in DI Khan, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Bannu, Charsadda, Bajaur and North Waziristan.

IED attacks have also increased in number since the fall of Kabul to Taliban in last August.