Five policemen martyred in KP’s Karak gun attack

• Attackers open fire on police vehicle in Karak.
• DPO says gunmen fled scene after opening fire.
• PM Shehbaz expresses grief, extends condolences.
  

KARAK/ISLAMABAD: At least five cops were martyred after a police mobile was attacked in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district, police said on Tuesday.

Five police personnel were in a police mobile when they were fired upon by gunmen who fled the scene, said District Police Officer (DPO) Saud Khan.

Confirming that all five policemen present in the mobile van were martyred, the DPO said that the vehicle was part of a security detail of a private gas company and that the suspects set it ablaze after the attack.

Condemning the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the policemen’s martyrdom and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

Praising the police force for their frontline role in the war against terrorism, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed resolve to eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country.

Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afiridi termed the incident “extremely regrettable and condemnable” and stressed that those behind the attack would be brought to justice.

The provincial government stands with the police, and such cowardly attacks cannot dampen our morale, added CM Afridi.

The incident comes in the wake of a sharp increase in terrorist attacks, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban regime grabbed power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Cross-border terrorism, emanating from Afghanistan, also resulted in week-long clashes between the two nations in October.

The attack comes just days after Islamabad issued a demarche to the Afghan Taliban regime, conveying grave concern over the continued support and facilitation provided to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The Foreign Office summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission on December 19 after four soldiers embraced martyrdom in a terrorist attack in KP’s North Waziristan.

Pakistan said that the Afghan Taliban regime’s continued support to terrorist groups enabled them to carry out terrorist attacks against the Pakistan military and the civilian population along the Pak-Afghan border and in adjoining areas.

The FO also informed Kabul’s envoy that Pakistan reserved the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, and will take all necessary measures to respond to terrorism originating from Afghan soil.