Two cops martyred, four injured in Nowshera attack

NOWSHERA: Two cops were martyred and four others, including a house station officer, sustained injuries when they were attacked by a group of terrorists near the mountainous Qamar Maila area in Nizampur on Tuesday, officials said.

They said that a policy party was on a routine patrol in Qamar Maila when the terrorists ambushed it. Two cops were martyred and four others, including Station House Officer (SHO) of Nizampur Police Station Masood Khan sustained injuries in the attack. According to District Police Officer (DPO) Mansoor Aman, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Akora Khattak Ehsan Shah and SHO of Nizampur Police Station Masood Khan were patrolling the area along with other cops in two vehicles when they came under attack from the terrorists.

The official said the terrorists, who staged the attack, included Gul Mohammad Shah alias Gul Mati, Wakeel Shah, Zar Ali, Daud, Masood, Mazhar Shah, Khursheed and Momin Shah. The gunman of the injured SHO, Asad, and another cop, Asfandyar, were martyred in the attack.

The injured SHO was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Nowshera while the three cops Zainullah, Roidad Khan and Akif were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. DSP Ehsan Shah, who escaped unhurt in the ambush, said the attackers had taken up positions atop the mountains, therefore, the cops suffered the casualties.

He said the attack took place in a mountainous area during routine patrol. The official said the cops also returned the fire, but he was not sure about the fatalities suffered by the attackers.

Ehsan Shah said they had to travel for hours to reach Nowshera to take the injured cops to hospitals. The DPO said that cops from all over the district including the Elite force personnel had been called in to launch a grand search operation in the area.

The official said that seven terrorists were still holed up in the area. He said the attackers were wanted by the police for murder, attempted murder and other heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the martyred cops were offered at the Police Lines in Nowshera. Deputy Inspector General of Police Mardan Range Mohammad Ali Gandapur and other officials attended the funeral.