SP, army colonel, captain killed in Gilgit-Baltistan ambush

GILGIT: Gunmen sprayed bullets on a police vehicle early Tuesday, killing a senior policeman and two army officials in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (G-B) Chilas town.

“Two guards also sustained injuries in the predawn ambush on the security officials posted there,” said deputy inspector general (DIG) police sharing initial information.

Those killed included Senior Superintendent Police (SP) Hilal Ahmed, an army colonel identified as Gulam Mustafa, and a Captain.

Colonel Mustafa was reportedly responsible for internal security issues in the town that shares boundaries with the Kohistan district of Khyber – Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

“The officials were returning to the rest house from  the deputy commissioner house when they were ambushed by armed men,” DIG told The Express Tribune by phone.

Police cordoned off the area immediately and launched a search operation to trace the killers.

According to officials privy to the development, SP Hilal was driving the vehicles while the army colonel was sitting beside him on the front seat when the vehicle came under fire.

SP Hilal died on the spot while Colonel Mustafa and the captain breathed their last at the government hospital in Chilas, headquarter of district Diamer.

“This is an act of sheer terrorism and we will get to them at all cost,” said DIG, adding that it was too early to speculate who could be behind the attack.

Tuesday’s shooting occurred almost a month after armed men dressed as Gilgit Scouts killed 10 foreign tourists and their Pakistan guide near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, Pakistan’s second highest peak located in Diamer district.

SP Hilal was a resident of Swat valley and was posted to the district sometime back. He was reportedly investigating the tourists killing case.

In a similar incident this year, unidentified gunmen had killed a DSP and his two guards in the valley.