Crossfire: Two militants killed in check post attack
Militants torch building, escape with weapons.
PESHAWAR:
Two militants were killed in crossfire with the police on Friday night after an isolated check post was attacked in the Zakhel area in the jurisdiction of Mattani police station on the outskirts of the city.
Militants torched the check post after over-running it and took away 10 rifles as well as a heavy machine gun from the building. A large number of policemen were sent to the area to thwart the assault.
“They fired rockets towards the check post of which many landed in the nearby village causing further panic,” said a police official of the Mattani police station. He added that one of their armoured vehicle was also hit by an RPG-7 rocket fired by the militants.
Security forces, however, managed to reach the spot, forcing the militants to flee. During the getaway, two of them were shot by the police. Their bodies were later found during a search operation in the area. “They left their dead behind in their hasty flight,” said the officer, adding that the check post was burned to the ground.
The check post has been established to protect a small dam in the area and is jointly manned by around 30 Frontier Constabulary (FC) and police personnel. It was attacked around 11pm at night but the skirmishes between militants and policemen continued till 1am Saturday.
Policemen and FC personnel managed to vacate the building before it was set ablaze.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2012.
Two militants were killed in crossfire with the police on Friday night after an isolated check post was attacked in the Zakhel area in the jurisdiction of Mattani police station on the outskirts of the city.
Militants torched the check post after over-running it and took away 10 rifles as well as a heavy machine gun from the building. A large number of policemen were sent to the area to thwart the assault.
“They fired rockets towards the check post of which many landed in the nearby village causing further panic,” said a police official of the Mattani police station. He added that one of their armoured vehicle was also hit by an RPG-7 rocket fired by the militants.
Security forces, however, managed to reach the spot, forcing the militants to flee. During the getaway, two of them were shot by the police. Their bodies were later found during a search operation in the area. “They left their dead behind in their hasty flight,” said the officer, adding that the check post was burned to the ground.
The check post has been established to protect a small dam in the area and is jointly manned by around 30 Frontier Constabulary (FC) and police personnel. It was attacked around 11pm at night but the skirmishes between militants and policemen continued till 1am Saturday.
Policemen and FC personnel managed to vacate the building before it was set ablaze.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2012.