Police in KP on high alert after attacks

PESHAWAR: The police force has been put on high alert across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a series of attacks on police stations and posts in different districts of the province over the last many days.

The latest attack was carried out on a security post in the limits of the Sarband Police Station in the provincial capital in the wee hours of Wednesday. However, no casualty was reported in the attack with heavy weapons on the police post located close to the boundary with Khyber district.

Contingents of police rushed to the spot and conducted a search operation in the vicinity after the attack. The police posts in the limits of Sarband have come under attack for the third time in the last five days. A number of police stations, posts and patrolling parties in KP have come under attack with grenades, IEDs and automatic weapons in the past months.

Police have been put on high alert after major attacks in Lakki Marwat and Wana in South Waziristan as well as the incident that happened at the office of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Bannu. The building was cleared on the third day in a commando operation after militants took control of it.

Measures were also taken to protect policemen from snipers with night vision thermal goggles. Besides, patrolling and checking in cities have been increased. Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari along with Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz visited various police posts to inspect the security arrangements as well as the level of alertness. The police chiefs directed the cops to make sure every policeman wears bullet-proof jackets and helmets as a precautionary measure. Over 120 policemen were martyred and over 125 others were wounded in different kinds of attacks on the force in KP during the current year. The attacks have accelerated across the province for the last few weeks.