5 cops martyred in Tank, Khyber terrorist attacks

TANK/ BARA: Five law-enforcement agencies personnel were martyred in two separate terrorist attacks in the Tank and Khyber districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, official and local sources said.

The first terror incident happened in the southern district of Tank where the terrorists stormed the Police Lines building and started firing.

The sources said the terrorists stormed the Police Lines from several sides at 2:40 am after lobbing hand grenades and firing with heavy weapons. The cops present there challenged the terrorists and the exchange of fire continued for several hours.

District Police Officer, Tank, Iftikhar Ali Shah, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Alamgir Khan rushed to the Police Lines along with cops in an armored vehicle soon after the attack.

It was learnt that the firing continued for 14 hours. The sounds of gunshots and loud explosions were heard during the attack.

Tank-Dera Ismail Khan and Tank-Wana Road were closed to traffic during this time.

The newly-commissioned building of the Tank Police Lines was damaged in the attack.

Three policemen were martyred and as many injured while four terrorists were killed when the cops returned the fire, the sources said. The martyred cops were identified as police constables Ihsanullah, Abdul Rasheed and Gohar Zaman. Constables Sakhi Noor Gul, Ajmal and Mukhtiar suffered serious injuries in the attack.

The funeral prayers for the martyred cops were offered at the DPO Office and they were laid to rest with state honours at native graveyards.

According to an ISPR statement, security forces and police force killed five terrorists who attacked the Police Lines in Tank City while three policemen who fought bravely were also martyred on Friday.

On Friday, five terrorists including a suicide bomber attempted to attack the Police Lines in Tank City, however, brave policemen offered stiff resistance, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.

Security forces in the vicinity were immediately mobilized to support the police force and in the ensuing operation, all the five terrorists were sent to hell. However, during intense fire exchange with the terrorists, three brave policemen, having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat.

Effective response of the policemen is a testament of their unrelenting resolve in the fight against terrorism.

Pakistan’s security forces stand shoulder to shoulder with other law enforcement agencies to ensure peace and stability in the country, the ISPR said.

The second terror act was reported in the Khyber tribal district, which shares a boundary with Peshawar.

Two cops of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) were martyred and six others, including a policeman, injured when terrorists attacked a checkpoint in the Bara tehsil of the Khyber tribal district early Friday.

The official sources said a group of terrorists attacked the joint checkpoint of the FC and police at Nala Khuwar area in Malikdinkhel in the limits of the Bara Police Station. As a result, two FC cops were martyred and six others sustained injuries.

The FC and police personnel repulsed the attack, forcing the terrorists to flee.

Those martyred in the attack were identified as Lance Naik Murad Khan and Sepoy Ghaffar Khan. Six others, including Naib Subedar Shafiurehman, sepoys Ilyas Khan, Shadiullah, Saddam Khan, Luqman and Tariq Khan, were injured in the attack. The injured were taken to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in Peshawar for treatment.

Soon after the incident, the security forces and police personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the area. A search operation was launched but no arrest was made.

Meanwhile, in a statement shared by the PM Office, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar vowed to continue the fight against terrorism till its complete elimination from the country. He strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the joint check-post and paid tribute to the security forces for foiling a big plan of terrorism in the Tank Police Lines.

“The entire nation pays tribute to the valiant security personnel who sacrificed their lives for the homeland,” he said. “The brave people of Pakistan stand with their security forces in the fight against terrorism.”

The caretaker PM prayed for the Almighty’s blessings upon the souls of martyred troops and for patience of their families.