DERA ISMAIL KHAN / SHANGLA: Five security personnel were martyred and several others injured in two separate attacks on Tuesday. The incidents involved an IED blast in Dera Ismail Khan and a militant assault on a police checkpoint in Shangla district.
In the first attack, an improvised explosive device (IED) struck a security forces’ vehicle in the Zarkani area of Daraban tehsil, Dera Ismail Khan. Three personnel were martyred, and two others were injured. The martyred soldiers were identified as Ashfaq, Mukhtiar Wali, and Arif, while Farzand and Sami sustained injuries. The wounded were transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dera Ismail Khan.
After the blast, a large contingent of police and security forces arrived at the site to carry out rescue and search operations. The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has yet to confirm the incident.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack, calling the province’s worsening security situation concerning. He also criticized the provincial government for its alleged inaction, claiming the administration was a mere bystander. The governor termed the attack a conspiracy by anti-Pakistan forces and expressed his condolences for the martyrs, while also praying for the swift recovery of the injured.
In the second attack, militants launched a coordinated assault on a police checkpoint in the Gunangar area of Chakesar tehsil, Shangla district. The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, resulted in the martyrdom of two personnel, including an ASI, and left three others wounded. District Police Officer (DPO) Imran Khan stated that the militants used heavy weapons, including rocket shells and hand grenades, to target the remote checkpoint near the Indus River.
Constable Nisar Ahmed was killed on the spot, while ASI Muhammad Hassan later succumbed to his injuries at Battagram Hospital. The wounded personnel were identified as Arshad Iqbal, Arshad Ali, and Rafatullah. DPO Imran Khan reported that one militant was injured in the retaliatory fire but managed to flee into the nearby mountains, leaving bloodstains along the escape route.
Funeral prayers for the martyred officers were held at the Shangla Police Lines, attended by senior officials, including Deputy Commissioner Fawad Ahmed, MPA Mohammad Rashad Khan, and former senator Maulana Rahat Hussain. A police contingent paid their respects with a salute.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Khan praised the bravery of the fallen personnel and vowed to bring the terrorists involved in the attack to justice.
In response to the attacks, local residents, along with civil society members, staged a protest at Alpuri Chowk, demanding an end to the rising wave of terrorism and a return to peace. Protesters warned that they would hold a sit-in if immediate measures were not taken to combat militancy in the area.
Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam condemned the Shangla attack, calling it a “cowardly act” and reiterating that the attacks would not break the resolve of the country’s security forces. He honored the bravery of the martyrs, declaring that they stood “like a wall of steel” against the enemy.
