Narrow escape: Police van ambushed by militants in Swabi

Help from backup ensured no loss of life, says SHO.

SWABI:

A police van came under attack by unidentified militants in the remote Gadoon area of Swabi district early Saturday morning. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

Gadoon Police SHO Mushtaq Hussain told The Express Tribune he was patrolling the mountainous area of Besak along with his fellow officers when militants ambushed their van near Malikabad.“We were like sitting ducks because of our position between two mountains,” he said.

Militants opened fire at the police van using assault rifles. Hussain said he immediately called the police station for backup and within 10 minutes a contingent of officers arrived and fought back the militants. “Thanks to backup assistance, we narrowly escaped the ambush,” he added.

Furthermore, the SHO said a search operation was launched after the incident but no one had been arrested till this report was filed.

This is the second attack on a police van in Swabi in the past few days. Officials were not as lucky during Wednesday’s incident, as one of them received serious injuries.

Abdul Aziz, a head constable at City police station, was driving a van from Police Lines to a petrol station when armed men on a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire in Dagai Laar before fleeing. Aziz sustained three bullet wounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2014.