CTD DSP among four police personnel martyred in Karak ambush, two terrorists killed

PESHAWAR: Two suspected terrorists were killed and four police personnel, including a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred during a search-and-strike operation in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Thursday.

The deceased police personnel were identified as CTD DSP Imranuddin Khan, Latamber police station SHO Afzal Awan, CTD DSP’s gunman Kazim and Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) official Amjad.

The attack comes hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government could not remain a silent spectator as terrorism resurged in the province, accusing the previous provincial government of failing to strengthen the police and CTD despite receiving substantial resources.

According to a statement issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, militants had set up a blockade on Charpira Road within the limits of Khurram police station on Wednesday night. A search-and-strike operation was launched in the area at noon on Thursday following reports about the presence and movement of militants.

The operation was led by the DSPs of Banda and the CTD, with personnel from the BDU, drone team, Rescue 15 and the Rapid Response Force also taking part.

During the operation, police raided the house of suspected militant commander Qaiser Iqbal in Charpira, triggering an exchange of fire. Two militants were killed, while the four police personnel sustained fatal injuries while confronting the attackers, the statement said.

The operation was still under way, with the SP Operations, station house officers and other relevant police officials taking part in efforts to track down militants in the area.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had condemned the attack and expressed grief over the deaths of the four police personnel.

Paying tribute to the officers, Kundi said the sacrifices made by provincial police personnel in the fight against terrorism would not be forgotten. He said they had laid down their lives to protect the public and maintain law and order, adding that the nation shared the grief of the bereaved families.

The governor said the sacrifices of the martyred personnel would not go in vain.

Earlier, three suspected militants of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Bhittani group were killed in an exchange of fire during a joint operation by the CTD and police in Tank district.

In September, a CTD official was martyred and three other personnel wounded during an intelligence-based operation in Garhi Sherdad on Warsak Road.

The operation was launched after the CTD received intelligence about the presence of three suicide bombers in the area, according to the department.

The suspected militants opened fire on the CTD team, killing Constable Muhammad Afaq and wounding three other personnel in an exchange of fire.