KOHAT:
Five policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were killed on Tuesday when terrorists attacked a police van in Shakardara area on the outskirts of Kohat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police said.
According to details, the attack took place when a police team led by DSP Lachi Asad Mahmood Khan was transporting inmates for investigation. The terrorists opened sudden and indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.
The martyrs included DSP Asad Mahmood Khan, Inspector Anar Gul Khan, DSP driver, DSP reader Wahab Gul, constable Mudassar and police official Syed Amir Abbas, son of Syed Murtaza.
Two detainees – Yousaf Khan, son of Yaqoob Gul, and Samiullah, son of Muhammad Anwar – also lost their lives in the incident.
Three policemen, including Zahoor Khan, Aqab Hussain and Mohib Rehman, were seriously injured in the firing and were immediately shifted to hospital.
A large contingent of Kohat police officers was rushed to the scene following the attack.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has taken note of the killing of a DSP and his accompanying staff in terrorist firing in Kohat and strongly condemned the incident.
The chief minister has sought a report from the Inspector General of Police into the incident. “The incident is extremely tragic. The sacrifices of the martyrs will not be in vain,” Afridi said.
He said KP Police were the first line of defense 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 also shared their grief.
The chief minister prayed for elevation in the ranks of martyrs and for patience and strength for the bereaved families.
He also asked the authorities to ensure provision of best possible medical facilities to the injured and prayed for their speedy recovery.
Read: Terrorists target ambulances transporting injured FC to hospital
Earlier on Monday, three Federal Police (FC) personnel were killed and several others injured in a series of terror attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, when a drone strike targeted an FC fort and a subsequent assault set fire to ambulances carrying the injured.
According to police, terrorists belonging to the banned group 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.
Following 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 chief 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 were being taken to hospital when the terrorists launched a second attack on the ambulances en route,” the DPO said, adding that the attackers set fire to the vehicles with the injured inside.
Three FC members were killed in the assault, while five people, including a Rescue 1122 official, were injured. The injured rescue personnel were shifted to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital in Bannu for treatment.
