Policeman, passerby die in Tirah attack

Miscreants attacked police post in Shalober

BARA:

A police constable and a passerby were killed when unidentified miscreants opened fire at a police check post in the far-flung Tirah valley of Khyer tribal district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Saturday morning.

Police told The Express Tribune that miscreants attacked a police post early in the morning, leaving a police constable Syed Karim and a passerby Abdur Rehman seriously injured.

They were rushed to the hospital where both of them succumbed to their injuries. The attackers managed to escape after committing the crime.

“The police post was attacked in Shalobar area of Arjalai nullah. The attackers managed to escape after committing the crime,” said SHO Solaraz Khan, adding that a large contingent of police reached the area and carried out a door-to-door search operation but there was no sign of the attackers.

Tirah is a famous and scenic valley bordering Afghanistan and home to several sub-clans of Afridi tribesmen.

For a decade it was a battle field for rival militant factions which destroyed the agriculture and local way of life, forcing thousands to flee the valley and the inhabitants of Rajgal area of Tirah are still living in IDP camps.

Last month two police warden were shot dead in the same Tirah valley by terrorists who managed to escape. A police team on polio security duty was also attacked but it escaped unhurt recently.

Investigation in the tribal districts remains a weak link as the local police is neither properly trained not fully equipped for the task.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has condemned the attack at police and the loss of precious lives.

He said that those responsible for it would be brought to justice.

The last rites of the slain policeman were offered with full guard of honour and attended by CCPO Peshawar Ijaz Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2022.