PESHAWAR/QUETTA: Seven policemen were martyred in multiple attacks on police in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the wee hours of Thursday.
A police station and two police posts came under attack simultaneously in Peshawar. Capital City Police Officer Qasim Ali Khan said a police official was martyred and another was wounded when armed terrorists attacked Hassan Khel Police Station in the provincial capital with heavy weapons.
A police post in Adezai and another in Sakhi Pul also came under attack simultaneously.
The CCPO said police fought with exemplary bravery and repulsed all the three attacks.
“A police official Jahangir Khan was martyred and one Haroon was injured in the firing in Hassan Khel while no casualty was reported in the two other attacks,” spokesman for the Peshawar Police Alam Khan said.
The Hassan khel is a remote police station located in the former FR Peshawar.
The funeral prayers for the fallen cop were offered at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines that were attended by inspector general Zulfiqar Hameed, CCPO Qasim Ali and others.
Three police personnel were martyred and six others injured in a terrorist attack in the Panakot area in Upper Dir. Officials said Nasru Minallah, Akbar Hussain and Ismail were martyred and six others were wounded when terrorists attacked the police van at around 1:30 am.
The wounded were shifted to hospital. A search operation is underway in the area.
Following the incident, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid and DIG Malakand visited the site of the attack and met with the families of the martyrs to offer condolences.
The funeral prayers for the fallen personnel were held at Police Lines Dir with full state honors. A police contingent presented a guard of honor and paid tribute to the martyrs.
Speaking on the occasion, IGP Zulfiqar Hamid said that cowardly acts of terrorists cannot break the resolve of the police force, but instead strengthen their determination. He assured the families that the sacrifices of martyrs would not be forgotten or go in vain.
Officials said two policemen were martyred in attacks on police posts on Lajbook and Lal Qila in Dir Lower. No casualty was reported in an attack in Chogha Nakozai in Shangla district.
Meanwhile, an additional station house officer (SHO) was martyred in an exchange of fire with wanted outlaws Nasti Kot area in upper part of Kurram tribal district
Police sources said a police team, accompanied by security forces, conducted a raid in Nasti Kot to arrest suspects wanted in various cases. Upon arrival, the suspects opened fire on the raiding party, prompting a prolonged exchange of gunfire in which Additional SHO of Rozha Police Station, Qaiser Hussain Turi, sustained fatal injuries and embraced martyrdom.
The body of the martyred officer was brought to the Parachinar Police Lines, where his funeral prayers were offered. Later, he was laid to rest in his native village, Daal, with full state honors. Senior police officials, members of the civil administration and a large number of locals attended the funeral to pay tribute to the fallen officer.
In Khyber, the terrorists carried out twin overnight attacks on the District Security Branch (DSB) police office and the residence of a local elder, rocking Landikotal, however no casualties were reported.
A police official said that the first blast occurred at around 12:20 am Thursday when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted at the District Security Police circle office in Sitarra Meel locality in Khyber Landikotal. The office was closed during night time and no police was around at the time of blast. (Syed Zahid Jan and Ali Afzal Afzaal also contributed to this story from Dir and Parachinar)
Meanwhile, three people, including a Levies official, were killed and one injured in separate incidents of firing and hand grenade attacks in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
According to police, unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade at a police vehicle in Killi Zareen within the jurisdiction of New Sariab Police Station, Quetta. The grenade exploded near the vehicle, killing a passerby and injuring another person. Police, security forces and a bomb disposal squad reached the site, and the victims were shifted to hospital.
In another incident, unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade at a police vehicle near the University of Balochistan on Sariab Road, but it failed to explode. The bomb disposal squad later defused it safely.
Separately, a body was found in Chashma Achozai on the outskirts of Quetta and moved to hospital.
In Kalat’s Johan area, unidentified gunmen opened fire at Levies personnel at Narmuk, killing official Walo Khan before fleeing the scene. In another case in the Iskalko Gundan area of Kalat, the body of Khizr Hayat — who had been abducted several days earlier — was recovered. All bodies were handed over to relatives after legal formalities.
