In Pakistan, three policemen were killed, and six others were injured in an attack on a police check post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district late on Wednesday night, officials said on Thursday, February 6. Policemen present at the checkpost fired back leading to an encounter which lasted two hours, following which the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadres fled, according to an official statement.
Data compiled and analysed by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), revealed that terror attacks across the country have shown a sharp rise of 42 per cent in January. This has resulted in an intensified counterterrorism campaign by security forces, including the Pakistan Army and the police, according to reports in the Pakistani media.
In the year 2024, Pakistan saw a substantial rise in the number of attacks on security personnel, be they of the Army or the police. The Baloch rebels fighting for an independent Balochistan have been targeting assets associated with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). On the other hand, Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed cadres have virtually liberated several areas of restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a rise in such violence, especially in KP and Balochistan. Attacks have increased after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022, vowing to target security officials and the police force.
According to a statement from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police Central Office, “Unknown terrorists opened fire from all sides at a check post in Karak’s Bahadur Khel area, targeting police personnel using light and heavy weapons in an attempt to capture the check post.’’
Police personnel injured in the firing were shifted to Karak District Headquarter Hospital, while three of the injured were sent to Peshawar for further treatment, according to District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi.
Inspector General Zulfikar Hameed met the bereaved family members and assured them that the blood of the martyred would not go in vain. The bodies of the martyred police personnel have been sent to their respective native areas.
“Our jawans fought bravely and thwarted the enemy’s attack,” IG Hameed said while speaking to the media in Karak this morning. The IG further said that KP police would take good care of the families of the martyred personnel.
“KP police will uproot the menace of terrorism. The terrorists want to cause harm to the people, but the people and KP police are united,” IG Hameed said. While responding to a media question, IG Hameed said KP police will “find terrorists wherever they are hiding and ensure that justice is served”, adding that all resources will be used to achieve this goal.
IG Hameed later visited the Bahadur Khel checkpost for a detailed inspection, where he assessed the planning and methodology of the attack. He also issued instructions to senior police officials present on the spot.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and paid tribute to the police personnel martyred in the firing. He also expressed his condolences to the families of the martyred personnel.
A police official was injured last month when motorcyclists attacked a police party in the Takht-i-Nusrati area of Karak district. On January 5, the police launched what it termed as a “clean-up operation’’ in the mountainous terrain of Banda Daud Shah in Karak district to flush out rebel TTP armed men and eliminate their hideouts. However, it could achieve little by way of catching or neutralising any armed men.
In a major attack on Pakistan Army personnel, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) rebels had killed 18 of them five days ago. Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir had visited Quetta in Balochistan to be briefed by senior Army personnel regarding the incident. However, the Baloch rebels had struck again a couple of days later, killing four more Pakistan Army soldiers
