KP police face attacks with night-vision, thermal imaging scope guns

PESHAWAR: A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and two constables, who were martyred in a militant attack Friday night, were laid to rest on Saturday amid demands to provide latest technology to the force to counter assaults with night vision thermal scope rifles.

This happened after many years that a DSP rank officer was martyred in Peshawar in an attack on the force. This time the attackers were equipped with the latest weapons.

DSP Badaber Sardar Hussain Khan, constables Irshad Ali and Jahanzeb were martyred in a midnight attack in Sarband.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police, Operations, Kashif Abbasi, the attackers first lobbed hand-grenades into the police station and later targeted a police party, led by DSP Sardar Hussain, when the re-enforcement arrived at midnight.

Reports said sniper guns fitted with night vision and thermal imaging scopes were used to target the police party coming to the spot for rescue.

The martyred cops were laid to rest in their ancestral villages after their funeral prayers were offered at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali, Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, senior police, army and civilian officers, elected representatives and others attended the funeral.

A contingent of police presented a salute to the fallen heroes.

Sardar Hussain, 55, is the senior-most officer who has died in an attack in the last many years in Peshawar. The two other fallen heroes were his guards who rushed to the spot after the attack.

On a number of occasions in recent weeks, the police have been targetted with thermal imaging scope guns, resulting in concern among the people and the force.

A senior police official recently said the United States and Nato forces have left behind weapons worth Rs7 billion in Afghanistan, which are now feared to have reached the militants.

In many areas, the force lacks resources and manpower to fight the attackers mostly equipped with latest ammunition.

People on social media asked the federal and provincial governments and the police bosses to provide the latest technology, bulletproof jackets and manpower to the force, especially in areas where more attacks have happened.

The police have been facing attacks for the last many months in Peshawar and other districts of the province.

A large number of attacks took place on the police in the last over a year in Badaber, Sarband and Matani falling under the jurisdiction of the Saddar Division.

Apart from a number of police stations and posts, the offices of SP Saddar and DSP Badaber were also attacked with grenades in the last many months.

A high-level meeting was held later in Peshawar with Chief Secretary Shahzad Bangash and IGP Moazzam Ansari in the chair to further upgrade the security arrangements across the province in the wake of the recent attacks.

All the officers were directed to strengthen posts and police stations and take measures for the safety of cops before sending them for duties.

The IGP said that the war against the terrorists had begun and all the policemen should be prepared for it. He lauded the sacrifices of the KP Police, saying the force gallantly faced all kinds of challenges.

Awami National Party provincial president Aimal Wali Khan and other leaders expressed concern over the growing terror incidents in Peshawar and the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The provincial government has left the police and public alone to fight the terrorists. The force needs to be equipped with the latest technology to counter such attacks,” said Aimal Wali.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of Jamaat-e-Islami said the institutions have failed to curb terrorism and questioned as to how the attackers managed to regroup.

The Counter Terrorism Department officials later on Saturday said that two terrorists who facilitated the attackers involved in the attack on DSP have been killed in an operation near Sarband.

The official said the operation was conducted in Shinwari Qila in Sarband where two terrorists Hazrat Umar and Gul Hayee were killed after an encounter with the commandos.

The official said the two slain men were wanted in a number of terrorist incidents in the past, including the suicide attacks on former Ad IGP Ashraf Noor, and ANP leader Haroon Bilour.