DPO says officers were carrying out routine patrols in Shatakai dam area when vehicle came under attack
DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
A police constable was martyred and another was injured when unknown armed men opened fire on a police vehicle in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) Karak early Wednesday morning, District Police Officer (DPO) Imran Khan confirmed.
According to DPO Khan, the officers were carrying out routine patrols in the Shatakai dam area, within the jurisdiction of Sabirabad police station, when the vehicle came under attack during the second half of the night.
“Constable Zafran was killed in the firing, while Constable Muhammad Imtiaz was wounded,” he added. The injured officer was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Khan said he reached the scene late at night with additional police personnel after receiving information about the attack. The area was subsequently cordoned off, and police launched a search-and-strike operation to track down those responsible.
“Additional police personnel were deployed at various locations and were keeping a close watch on the movement of suspected individuals,” he said.
“The police reiterate their resolve that all possible measures will be taken to bring to justice those elements targeting police personnel, and the suspects will be arrested soon and brought before the law,” Khan added.
He said police were making every effort to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack.
The funeral prayer for police constable Zafran was held with full official honours at the Police Lines in Karak. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Kohat Irfan Tariq, DPO Khan, district administration officials, police personnel, civil society representatives and members of the public attended the funeral.
A police contingent presented a guard of honour, while senior officers laid floral wreaths on the coffin. RPO Irfan Tariq offered condolences to the bereaved family and said the entire police force stood with them. He vowed that those responsible for the constable’s killing would be brought to justice as soon as possible.
The body was later taken to his native area with full official protocol, where he was to be buried according to local customs.
Read: Two major sabotage attempts foiled in Bannu
Terrorism has significantly increased in K-P and Balochistan in the past few years. The rise in terrorist activity has led to growing concerns over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have been conducting intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups infiltrating from the Afghan border.
The federal government has been consistently raising its voice on international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan — a development attested to by the United Nations Security Council.
The recent incidents in K-P reflect the continued security challenges faced by the region.
On 13 July, two police officers were killed and two injured when a suspected IED targeted a police APC on the Wana-Jandola road in Tank district. Police said the device was remotely detonated and a search operation was launched after the attack.
On 3 July, unidentified attackers carried out two separate acts of sabotage in Bannu district, targeting a government girls’ middle school and a key link bridge.
Explosives planted inside the Government Girls Middle School in Mama Khel damaged parts of the building, cracking classroom walls and shattering windows and doors.
In a separate incident in Bachki area of Jani Khel, militants planted a drum filled with explosives beneath an important bridge, apparently attempting to disrupt transport links. Security forces and the Bomb Disposal Unit defused the device before it could cause damage.
Earlier, on 20 June, at least seven people were killed when a passenger vehicle was targeted in an IED attack in the region.
