Six policemen, one civilian martyred in K-P IED blast as violence intensifies

Fresh blasts, shootings and CTD operations underscore rising terrorist threat

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

At least six police officers, including an additional station house officer, and a civilian were martyred on Monday when a police armoured personnel carrier was hit by an improvised explosive device while travelling from Gomal to Tank in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, officials said.

The martyred include Station House Officer (SHO) Ishaq Marwat, Constable Sher Aslam, driver Abdul Majeed, and constables Arshad Ali, Hazrat Ali, and Ehsan Ullah. Police said one civilian passer-by was also killed in the attack. The identity of the civilian victim has not yet been established.

In a separate attack the same day, an IED targeted a police vehicle near Darah Tang in the jurisdiction of Saddar Police Station in Lakki Marwat. Three police personnel, including SHO Razaq Khan, were injured in the blast, police said.

The device had been planted near the Darah Tang bridge. At the time of the incident, the District Police Officer of Lakki Marwat was on a routine patrol of police posts and was expected to pass through the same route. A day earlier, unknown armed assailants had abducted a lawyer from the same location, according to officials.

K-P Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said the cowardly terrorist attacks in Tank and Lakki Marwat would not shake the resolve of the police force.

He said the martyred officers and personnel laid down their lives in the line of duty and that the entire force was proud of their sacrifice. “The morale of the police is high, and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police will confront terrorism with even greater determination and courage,” the IGP said.

He said the sacrifices of the martyrs would not go in vain and assured that the families of the slain personnel would receive full support and all possible assistance.

The police chief said investigations had been accelerated and those involved in the attacks would be brought to justice soon.

IED targeting a police vehicle in Lakki Marwat Photo: Express

In another incident, local sources said a police officer identified as Ismat, a resident of Sydowali, and his cousin were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Kachi Kathgarh area.

The violence followed an overnight terrorist attack in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, where police repelled an assault on the Nala Kasho police post. The attack occurred around 12:30am when militants opened fire from multiple directions within the jurisdiction of Domel police station. Police returned fire and prevented the attackers from advancing, forcing them to retreat.

Over the past 24 hours, the Counter-Terrorism Department carried out two intelligence-based operations in Peshawar and Khyber districts, killing six “highly wanted” terrorists linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, while several of their accomplices escaped.

Police said the first operation was conducted on the outskirts of Peshawar in the Tipu Sano Bacha graveyard area near Zahir Ghari after confirmed intelligence reports. A CTD ambush team killed three terrorists on the spot, while others fled by using nearby residential areas.

Read: CTD kills six terrorists in targeted operations in K-P

The second operation took place in Jamrud, in the Naqa Kalle area near the Shah Kas Bypass Road, where terrorists were reportedly preparing a coordinated attack on police. CTD personnel foiled the plan and killed three more terrorists.

Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in August 2021, there has been a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Official figures show that more than 4,000 Pakistanis – including soldiers, police personnel, officers and civilians – have been killed since then.

Security officials say the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan felt emboldened after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and has tried to replicate a similar insurgency in Pakistan. Despite what officials describe as clear evidence, they say the Afghan Taliban have so far failed to take effective action against the group.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the martyrdom of police personnel in a terrorist attack in Tank district and offered prayers for the deceased and patience for their families.

He directed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation and said the terrorists responsible would be taken to their “logical end”. The prime minister said the government was fully committed to eliminating terrorism from the country.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the blast near a police vehicle in Tank.

He paid tribute to the martyred police personnel, including the additional SHO, and expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the slain officers.

“The brave police personnel sacrificed their today for the nation’s peaceful tomorrow,” Naqvi said, adding that the great sacrifices of the martyrs would always be remembered.

“The martyrs are our pride, and the nation can never forget their eternal sacrifices,” he said.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the IED attack on a police vehicle in Tank, calling it a tragic incident.

He said the sacrifices of the martyred police officials would not go in vain and that attacks on the police would not allow anti-peace elements to succeed in their aims. Afridi said police personnel were making frontline sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

The chief minister said those involved would be brought to justice and added that the provincial government stood with the police. He expressed condolences to the families and said all possible assistance would be provided.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the blast on a police armoured vehicle in the Gomal area of Tank.

He paid tribute to the martyred police personnel, including the additional SHO, and offered prayers for their families. Kundi said K-P police were fighting terrorists on the frontline and that the sacrifices of police martyrs for peace would not go in vain.

– With additional reporting by Ali Murad