Bannu police repel a militant attack on the Fatah Khel police checkpoint early Monday morning PHOTO: EXPRESS
MIRAN SHAH:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police on Saturday killed two suspected terrorists involved in the killing of a Rescue 1122 driver, while another terrorist was also killed in a separate operation, according to Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan.
He told Express Pakinomist that an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) was conducted near Khojari in the Circular Road area where a gunfight took place between police and terrorists. In the operation, two suspected terrorists were killed, while their co-conspirators managed to escape.
RPO Khan said the slain terrorists were wanted in several crimes, especially in the killing of Bannu Rescue 1122 driver Usman Khan.
Unidentified terrorists had shot Usman a day ago in what was described as the first killing of an emergency worker in the history of the province. Police said the attack took place in Zarghar Mamikhel area where armed terrorists opened fire and fled.
His body was taken to the district headquarters hospital for post-mortem, while it was confirmed that he was the brother of police constable Rukhsar.
Read: Rescue 1122 worker shot dead in Bannu
RPO Khan visited the native village of policemen martyred at Fateh Khel police post and prayed for them.
On the occasion, he reiterated the decision to continue large-scale operations against terrorists. He added that operations against terrorists will continue without interruption until lasting peace is achieved in the region.
In a separate incident, he said another suspected terrorist was killed during an operation by security forces in Sardi Khel area of Jani Khel.
On May 11, 15 policemen were martyred in a brazen attack on a Bannu police check post by a banned outfit, Ittehad Mujahideen Pakistan, belonging to Fitna al-Khawarijassumed responsibility.
On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, terrorists rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Fateh Khel police check post in Bannu, triggering a massive explosion that completely reduced the structure to rubble.
On April 20, a police constable was martyred in the Akhundan forest civil camp area near the Bannu border during an intelligence-based operation by the Counter Terrorism Department.
On April 6, two policemen and a security guard were martyred in separate firing incidents in Bannu. The first attack took place outside a National Database and Registration Authority office in the Baka Khel area, where gunmen opened fire on security personnel. Two officers, Constable Rafiullah and Security Guard Gul Shah Noor, were killed on the spot.
In a separate incident near Miryan Kinger police station, another police officer, Sher Muhammad, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
KP has been fighting terrorism since the US’s ouster from Afghanistan, with terrorists often crossing the border to target police convoys and vehicles, resulting in the deaths of several officials and personnel.
The province has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks, accounting for the highest number of incidents in the country. Out of a total of 5,397 incidents reported last year, KP recorded 3,811 incidents, followed by Balochistan with 1,557. Only 29 incidents were reported from the rest of the country. A total of 2,597 terrorists were killed during the year.
