Police say initial information suggests a remote-controlled improvised explosive device was used in the attack
Two police officers were killed and two others injured after a bomb targeted an armored police force in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa tank district. PHOTO: EXPRESS
DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
Two police officers were killed and two others injured when a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) targeted an armored personnel carrier (APC) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank District on Monday, District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Samad said.
Police said the blast occurred near Shah Jee Bungalow on Jandola-Wana Road while the vehicle was on a routine patrol.
The deceased officers were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Fareedullah and Constable Akhtar Zaman. The injured officers, Constables Abdul Malik and Qudratullah, were shifted along with the bodies of the deceased to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Tank.
Initial findings suggested the blast was caused by a remote-controlled IED, police said.
After the attack, the police put the district on high alert and launched a search operation to trace those responsible.
Terrorism has increased significantly in KP and Balochistan in the past few years. The increase in terrorist activity has led to growing concern over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have conducted intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups infiltrating from the Afghan border.
Read also: Two major sabotage attempts foiled in Bannu
The federal government has consistently raised its voice in international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and has used its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan – a development the UN Security Council attests to.
Recent incidents in KP reflect the continuing security challenges facing the region.
On July 3, unidentified assailants carried out two separate acts of sabotage in Bannu district, targeting a government girls’ school and a bridge with key links.
Explosives planted inside the Government Girls Middle School in Mama Khel damaged parts of the building, cracked classroom walls and shattered windows and doors.
In a separate incident in Bachki area of Jani Khel, militants planted a drum filled with explosives under an important bridge, apparently in an attempt to disrupt transport links. Security forces and the bomb disposal unit defused the device before it could cause damage.
Earlier, on June 20, at least seven people were killed when a passenger vehicle was hit by an IED attack in the region.
