Miranshah Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali and two cops were among four martyred after the official’s vehicle came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Tuesday. Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan confirmed the number of casualties.
“The attack was sudden, and after opening fire on the vehicle, the assailants also set it on fire,” he said. The DIG said the area was cordoned off after the incident and a search was underway to locate the attackers.
“Security forces and police are conducting a joint operation. Security in the area has been put on high alert and investigations are being carried out from every angle,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bilal Saqib, the assistant commissioner’s secretary, told the media that the incident took place at around 10am. He said the assistant commissioner was on his way to appear before a court when he was “ambushed” near Mamash Khel’s Masoomabad.
Giving details about the deaths, he said that two constables and a civilian, who was working in the fields, were martyred, while two police officials were injured. He said that an investigation was underway into the incident.
Miranshah is the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan district and is adjacent to Bannu.
Later, the funeral prayers for Shah Wali Khan and three others were offered with full state honors at Bannu Cantt.
Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Regional Police Officer Bannu Sajjad Khan, Commissioner Bannu Khalid Mehmood, Brigadier Umair Khan Niazi, DPO Bannu Yasir Afridi, DPO North Waziristan Sajjad Hussain, Deputy Commissioner Bannu Muhammad Faheem Khan, SP CTD Fazal Waheed, along with other civil and military officials, attended the funeral.
The coffins of the martyrs were presented a salute, and floral wreaths were laid. Prayers were offered for the elevation of the martyrs’ ranks and for patience and strength for the bereaved families.
Paying tribute to the martyrs, the Chief Secretary and the IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that the martyrs sacrificed their lives in the line of duty for the protection of the nation and the country. They stated that cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot weaken their resolve.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the lives lost in the incident. A statement shared by the PPP on X said he condemned the terrorist attack.
He further said that the elimination of terrorists operating with external support against the country was being carried out with national consensus.
He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured police personnel and directed the relevant agencies to ensure the immediate arrest of the attackers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow on the terrorist attack in Bannu that martyred four people, including the assistant commissioner, according to a statement on X issued by the PM Office. He prayed for the departed souls and extended prayers of patience for the bereaved.
“The government is committed to eliminating terrorism from the country.”
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also condemned the attack and expressed sorrow at the lives lost in the incident. According to an official statement, he also sought a detailed report from the KP police chief.
“The sacrifices of the martyrs will not go in vain. The elements involved will be brought to justice,” he said. Afridi also directed to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment.
Separately, security forces killed seven terrorists in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two operations were carried out on the reported presence of khawarij.
Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“An intelligence-based operation (IBO) was conducted by the security forces in [the] general area [of] Mir Ali,” the statement read. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, six khawarij were sent to hell.”
Another terrorist was killed in an IBO in Spinwam, the ISPR said, adding that weapons and ammunition were seized from the terrorists who “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces, law enforcement agencies and target killing of innocent civilians”.
“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area as [a] relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by [the] security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the recent past, particularly in KP and Balochistan, since the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in 2022. With the end of the ceasefire, the TTP had vowed to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies.