At least seven individuals, including six cops, were martyred and multiple personnel sustained injuries in a terrorist attack on a police van in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district on Tuesday.
Police said the terrorists opened fire on a police mobile van in the remote area of Shakardara Road, resulting in the martyrdom of three policemen, including a deputy superintendent, identified as Asad Mehmood, on the spot.
Meanwhile, two civilians passing by the van were also injured in the attack.
Police said the death toll rose to seven after three injured cops and one civilian succumbed to their wounds.
Three cops and the other civilian injured in the shooting were still under treatment.
Following the attack, the terrorists also set the mobile van ablaze, police added.
Separately, a police constable was martyred after unidentified armed men opened fire in the Wana tehsil of Lower South Waziristan district, officials said on Tuesday.
According to District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Tahir, the attackers carried out a sudden assault in Mughal Khel village, leaving a constable, identified as Attaullah, critically wounded. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
His body was taken to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ) in Wana for legal formalities, the DPO said.
Police officials said security in the area was tightened following the incident, while an investigation had been launched to trace those involved.
“Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators,” DPO Tahir said, adding those responsible would be brought to justice.
The funeral prayers for the martyred official were later offered at the Police Lines in Wana. Subsequently, the body of the martyred constable was transported to his native village, Doag, where he was laid to rest with official honours.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the terrorist attack carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij militants.
He paid tribute to DSP Mehmood and three police personnel who were martyred in the attack, honouring their sacrifice and bravery in the line of duty.
The interior minister expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the martyrs, stating that DSP Mehmood and the fallen officers attained the highest rank of martyrdom.
Naqvi said the martyrs sacrificed their today for the nation’s tomorrow, adding that their timeless sacrifices will always be remembered.
He assured that the government stands with the families of the martyrs in this difficult time and shares in their grief.
Terrorist attacks have been prevalent in the country, especially in the provinces neighbouring Afghanistan.
At least three Federal Constabulary (FC) men were martyred when an ambulance carrying injured personnel came under a terrorist attack in the Badrakhail area of Karak, KP on Monday.
Moreover, four Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan, while five others were killed in separate raid in Balochistan’s Pishin district.
Pakistan, since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, has witnessed an increase in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the provinces of KP and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif earlier this month said that India was also waging a “proxy war” against Pakistan via militant attacks, stressing that New Delhi and Kabul, along with the militant outfits, “are on the same page.”