PESHAWAR / DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two police officials were martyred in a militant attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district on Thursday, while security forces killed four militants in separate operations in Bannu and North Waziristan districts.

In the Tank district incident, two policemen were martyred and three others injured when a mobile police van came under attack near the Pathan Kot area on Tank-Pezu Road on Thursday morning.

A police spokesman said that a police party from Shaheed Mureed Akbar (SMA) police station was on routine patrol when a group of 15 to 25 armed militants opened fire with modern weapons. He said that police promptly retaliated, but the attackers managed to flee towards the Jankey and Kerry Haider areas.

The attack claimed the lives of Head Constable Farid Zaman and Constable Ayaz, while three other officers sustained injuries.

Four militants killed in security operations in Bannu, North Waziristan

The injured personnel were transported to hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.

A heavy contingent of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, launching a search and strike operation to apprehend the attackers.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur strongly condemned the attack and extended his sympathies to the families of the martyred policemen.

The funeral prayers for the two fallen policemen were held at the Police Lines Tank with full official honours. The ceremony was attended by a large number of residents, civil society members and senior officials from the police, army and Frontier Corps. Floral wreaths were placed on the coffins, and a police contingent presented a salute to the martyrs.

Following the ceremony, the coffins were transported to the policemen’s homes for burial. Senior officers, including the sector commander and District Police Officer (DPO), met with the families of the martyrs, expressing their deep condolences and offering full support.

Militants killed

According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an exchange of fire occurred on Wednesday night during an intelligence-based operation in the Janikhel area of Bannu district. Security forces engaged the militants based on their reported presence in the area, killing two.

A second operation was conducted on Thursday in North Waziristan’s Hassan Khel area, where security forces effectively engaged the militants’ position, resulting in the deaths of two more militants following an intense gunfight.

The ISPR said that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who had been involved in several attacks on security forces as well as abductions and targeted killings of civilians. The area is currently being cleared to ensure no remaining militants are present.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2024