Targeted: Constable killed, four others injured in two attacks on police

Firing continued for two hours after attack on Mashogager check post.

PESHAWAR: A police constable was killed and four others were injured in separate incidents of targetted attacks on Saturday night.

In the first incident, police constables Kiramatullah and Shahid were on routine patrol near Peshawar Bus Terminal when the assailants, armed with 9mm pistols, opened fire at them. The injured were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where Kiramat died. Shahid was in critical condition till this report was filed.

An hour after the attack, police found and defused a powerful remote-controlled device in the same area. The bomb disposal squad (BDS) said the device had been planted to target police as they were expected to arrive at the scene after the attack on the police squad.

Separately, more than a dozen militants, armed with RPG-7s and heavy machine guns, attacked the Mashogagar police post of the Badhaber police station late Saturday night leaving three policemen and a woman seriously injured.



At 1am, militants surrounded the check post and blocked all routes to prevent any reinforcements from entering the place.

The militants receded after two hours when the police finally reached the area and forced the attackers to flee to Akka Khel, Khyber Agency.

The injured policemen have been identified as Naushad, Amjad and Haider.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the head of Masho Khel Peace Militia Israr Khan said it was the first massive attack against a well-defended police post inside the settled territory. He added the attacks have increased after the general elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2013.