Police suspect Uzbeks involved in Tank attack

Police on Saturday said that the five terrorists who were involved in the attack on the Tank Police Lines looked like foreigners, most probably Uzbeks, and that their finger prints and DNA samples had been collected to determine their real identity.

On Saturday, Dera Ismail Khan Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) registered an FIR against the five unidentified terrorists and their handlers as well as facilitators.

The police told The Express Tribune that the attackers were heavily armed and well trained who stormed the Police Lines and were eventually holed up in a building.

“These attackers were armed with US military rifles, thermal imaging devices, and latest hand grenades. They were also provided with food items like dates, water bottles as well as other snacks in order to help them carry out a prolonged attack,” a police official said, adding that every effort was being made to determine the identity of the attackers.

“We have collected blood samples as well as finger prints of these attackers and investigation teams are working restlessly to identify them,” he added.

On Friday, at least three brave policemen embraced martyrdom and as many were injured while valiantly eliminating five terrorists who along with a suicide bomber attacked the Tank City police lines.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), five terrorists, including a suicide bomber, “attempted to attack the police lines, however, brave policemen offered stiff resistance”.

According to details, the terrorists attacked the police lines with heavy weaponry, including hand grenades, at around 2:40am in the wee hours of Friday.

Read FO asks Kabul to hand over DI Khan attack planners

As soon as the attack was reported, Tank DPO Iftikhar Ali Shah along with DSP Alamgir and two other policemen entered the police lines and started exchanging fire with the terrorists. The gunfight continued for 14 hours, during which the Dera Ismail Khan Road was closed for traffic.

In the attack, three policemen, including constables Ehsanullah Abdul Rasheed and Gohar Zaman, embraced martyrdom while Constables Sakhi Noor Gul, Ajmal and Mukhtiar were seriously injured. Five terrorists were also gunned down.

The injured were shifted to the hospital for medical assistance. The newly constructed building of the Police Lines has been seriously damaged in the attack.

The ISPR added that the security forces in the vicinity were immediately mobilised to support the police force.

However, during the intense exchange of fire with the terrorists, the three brave policemen, having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat (martyrdom).

“Effective response of the policemen is a testament of their unrelenting resolve in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistan’s security forces stand shoulder to shoulder with other law enforcement agencies to ensure peace and stability in the country,” the ISPR said.

The attack came days after almost two dozen soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack in Dera Ismail Khan.

The ISPR had stated that a group of six terrorists attacked a security forces’ check post in the Daraban general area.

“The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack,” according to the military’s media wing.

“The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple casualties; 23 brave soldiers embraced shahadat, while all six terrorists were effectively engaged and sent to hell,” the ISPR added.

The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a group that only emerged on the scene in February this year, took responsibility for the DI Khan attack. (With input from app)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2023.