2 CTD personnel, 3 cops martyred in Kohat, Bajaur attacks

KOHAT/KHAR: Three cops, including two Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel, embraced martyrdom in two separate attacks in Kohat and Bajaur districts on Monday.Two Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel embraced martyrdom when unidentified armed assailants opened fire on them near Tanda Dam in Kohat.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Abbas Majeed Marwat said that the martyred personnel - Zaheer and Assistant Sub-Inspector Mustafa - were on their way from their village, Barh, to their duty station when they were ambushed.

The security forces and police immediately reached the scene and initiated a search operation to apprehend the attackers. The bodies of the fallen cops were shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Kohat.

Later, a funeral prayer for the martyred officers was held at Kohat Police Lines. The ceremony was attended by Additional Inspector General (AIG) of CTD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, RPO Kohat Abbas Majeed Marwat, District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Zahidullah, Operations Commander Colonel Hidayat, CTD Kohat SP Saadat Khan, as well as senior army and police officials, relatives of the martyrs, and a large number of local dignitaries. The authorities vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice soon. the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction, Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, has claimed responsibility for the killing of CTD personnel in Kohat.

According to a statement issued by the group, the attack was carried out by fighters of TTP’s Ghazwa-e-Hind Kohat Wilayah under the command of Gul Bahadur. The group has warned of further attacks in the region.In Bajaur, unidentified assailants opened fire in Tarkho area in the Mamond tehsil, martyring two people, including a cop.

According to police sources, the deceased include Police Constable Shahid, son of Mukarram, and a civilian, Amanullah, son of Jamal Syed. The attackers managed to flee the scene after the incident.So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. District Police Officer (DPO) Bajaur, Waqas Rafiq, stated that police have launched an investigation into the incident.