PNN: Five policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred and four others injured when terrorists attacked a police van in the Lachi area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat on Tuesday, police said. Two detainees were also killed in the incident.
The attack took place when a police team led by DSP Lachi Asad Mahmood Khan was transporting detainees for investigation. Unidentified armed men opened sudden and indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.
Those martyred included DSP Asad Mahmood Khan, Inspector Anar Gul Khan, a gunman, the DSP’s reader Wahab Gul, and the driver. The two slain detainees were identified as Yousaf Khan, son of Yaqoob Gul, and Samiullah, son of Muhammad Anwar.
Four others, including three police officials Zahoor Khan, Aqab Hussain and Mohib Rehman sustained serious injuries and were shifted to a hospital in Kohat for treatment.
A heavy contingent of Kohat police was dispatched to the scene after the attack.
KP CM Sohail Afridi took notice of the killing of a DSP and his accompanying personnel in firing by terrorists in Kohat and strongly condemned the incident.
The chief minister sought a report from the inspector general of police on the incident. “The incident is extremely tragic. The sacrifices of the martyrs will not go in vain,” Afridi said.
He said the K-P Police were the first line of defence against terrorism and their sacrifices were unforgettable. “The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot shake the resolve of the police,” he said.
Afridi said the provincial government stood in complete solidarity with the families of the martyrs and equally shared their grief.
The chief minister prayed for the elevation of ranks of the martyrs and for patience and strength for the bereaved families.
He also directed authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery.
Earlier on Monday, three Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and several others injured in a series of terrorist attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, when a drone strike targeted an FC fort and a subsequent assault set ablaze ambulances carrying the wounded.
According to police, terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), described by officials as Fitna al-Khawarij, launched a drone attack on an FC fort near Dargah Shaheedan in the Bahadar Khel area.
As a result of the assault, which took place within the jurisdiction of Khurram Muhammad Zai Police Station, five personnel – Havaldar Sabir, Sepoy Ameen, Sepoy Zohaib, Sepoy Murad and Sepoy Yousaf – were injured.
Karak District Police Officer Saud Khan said contingents of security forces and other law-enforcement agencies rushed to the scene immediately after the attack, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
“The injured personnel were being taken to the hospital when terrorists launched a second attack on the ambulances en route,” the DPO said, adding that the attackers set the vehicles ablaze with the wounded inside.
Three FC personnel were martyred in the assault, while five individuals, including a Rescue 1122 official, sustained injuries. The injured rescue staff was shifted to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital in Bannu for treatment.