ASI martyred in sniper attack on Bajaur police post

An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), Daulat Khan, was martyred on Wednesday in a sniper attack by unknown individuals on the Badan police post in Wara Mamond tehsil of Bajaur district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), police said.

A heavy contingent of police cordoned off the area immediately after the attack, launching a search operation for the arrest of the suspects. The funeral prayer of the martyred ASI is to be offered at 1.00pm at Police Lines, according to police.

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Various areas in K-P, particularly the Bajaur district, have seen attacks on security personnel over the past month. Additional Station House Officer (SHO) Gul Mano Din was martyred on February 14, while he was on duty, as unidentified armed men opened fire at Wara Mamond Police Station and police responded in kind.

On February 16, 12 terrorists were killed while 11 security personnel were martyred after security forces foiled a terrorist attack on a check-post in Bajaur. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attackers, described as belonging to the Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij.

The ISPR stated that during the assault, the attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the check post, with the blast causing parts of the infrastructure to collapse, resulting in the martyrdom of the 11 security personnel. In response, the Foreign Office, on February 19, said it summoned the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission to deliver a demarche over the attack.

The FO reportedly warned Kabul to take "immediate, concrete, and verifiable measures" against terrorist groups operating from its soil.

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Later, on February 26, four policemen were martyred, while another two were injured, when armed men attacked an Ababeel police patrol in the Nawa Kalay area of Khar Tehsil, located in Bajaur.

Further, as 'Operation Ghazab Lil Haq' continues with full force across the border with Afghanistan, K-P remains a theatre for the ongoing crackdown against terrorist forces. On Tuesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistani security forces killed 67 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in Balochistan and K-P.

Providing an operational account, Tarar stated that a physical attack was attempted at one location while fire raids were conducted at 12 sites in K-P. The minister said that all attacks were repelled with no loss of life on the Pakistani end. 40 Afghan Taliban were killed, however, in overnight operations in K-P.