At least three police officials have been killed, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in exchange of fire with terrorists in Peshawar on Saturday…reports Asian Lite News
Three police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were killed in a terrorist attack on Saturday in the Peshawar region of Pakistan, The News International reported. The attack took place in Peshawar’s suburban area where terrorists carried out an attack on Sarband police station in the early hours of Saturday.
Senior superintendent of police operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi said that police station Sarband was attacked with grenades and sniper guns fitted with night vision thermal goggles. Kashif Aftab said that at least six to eight terrorists were involved in the attack, as per The News International report.
The SSP Operations said that at least 12 to 14 police personnel were present at the police station at the time of the attack. The SSP operations said that terrorists lobbed five hand grenades into the compound of the police station. Kashif Aftab said that four grenades were neutralised while one blew up, according to the news report. The police official said that the terrorists managed to flee after the attack. He stated that the search operation has been stopped and would restart during day time to find the attackers.
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Police contingents reached the site after the terror attack was reported. The police spokesperson said that the entire area was cordoned off following the assault. Additional police contingents and armoured personnel carriers also reached the spot. The DSP and his two gunmen, Irshad and Jehanzeb died on the spot, as per The News International report.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has condemned the terrorist attack on Sarband Police Station and called it a sorrowful incident. In a statement issued on Saturday, Khan stressed that the sacrifices of police personnel will not go waste and added that police fought with bravery and repulsed the attack.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan condemned the attack and offered condolences to the families of police personnel who lost their lives. He tweeted, “Strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the police station. My condolences & prayers go to the families of the martyrs. The KP govt & its police force are in the frontline of fighting terrorism & must be a central part of any counter terrorism policy.”
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has condemned the attack and stated that the government is concerned over the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He tweeted, “The Federation is deeply concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, terrorists are attacking police stations, policemen and officers are being targeted. From the recent incident, it seems that the provincial government has not learned any lesson even from Bannu CTD headquarters.”
He further added, “All the energies of the Chief Minister are focused on breaking the assembly, the safety of the people’s life and property – peace and order in the province is not the priority of the CM, even the KP police is not safe from terrorist attacks, what will happen to the safety of the people? I pay tribute to the police martyrs, salute their sacrifices.” (ANI)
2 killed in drive-by attack at Jhangi checkpoint
Two persons including a police officer were killed while another was injured when they were attacked by two bike-borne miscreants at the Jhangi police checkpoint of Pakistan’s Taunsa Sharif district, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.
The accused escaped after the attack. They attacked Punjab police off-road border checkpoint and killed a police officer identified as Mazar, and a passer-by. Another policeman, Ramzan, was injured in the attack, according to sources, Dawn newspaper reported.
Unidentified persons, whom the Taunsa police called “militants” carried out the attack and a rescue team was dispatched to the remote checkpoint post the attack.
The Punjab police checkpoint at Jhangi is intended to prevent the infiltration of undesirable elements into the province, according to Dawn newspaper.
Recently, two Pakistani police personnel and a civilian were killed in separate militant attacks in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Two men in their 40s, including a police officer, lost their lives when armed motorcyclists attacked them near the Paharkhel Thall area in Lakki Marwat, the Dawn reported.
“As soon as Younas Khan and Asmatullah riding a motorcycle reached Manjiwala link road from Paharkhel Thall village, two armed motorcyclists opened fire on them,” a police officer was quoted as saying by the Pakistani newspaper.
In a separate incident, a police constable was killed and another was injured in an attack in the Bhittani sub-division of Lakki Marwat late on Thursday night.
The policemen came under attack within the limits of Shadikhel police station while they were on the way to the Wargarey police station to assist their colleagues, who were attacked by a group of terrorists.
Earlier this month, a terrorist was killed and a police constable was killed when terrorists attacked a police check-post in the Shahbazkhel area of the district.
The surge in militant attacks comes amid the rising presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the country.
In its annual report, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said the Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks, which included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions.
“The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month (thus far) for Pakistan’s security personnel over a decade, with the emergence of a new terror triad comprising TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Daesh-Afghanistan as the biggest threat to the country,” the CRSS report said.
December 2022 alone saw 40 fatalities as it became the year’s deadliest month. (ANI)
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