BAJAUR: Unidentified assailants opened fire on a police patrol squad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday evening, killing four policemen and injuring two others.
Khar Police Station House Officer Gul Zada said attackers targeted the Ababeel Squad, a specialised patrolling unit, near Nawai Kallay around Iftar time. He said the squad was conducting routine patrol duties when gunmen ambushed them, killing four officers on the spot and seriously injuring two.
Police spokesperson Israr Khan said the personnel were returning to the Bajaur police lines from Inayat Kallay bazaar as their shift was ending when the attackers struck. He identified the slain officers as Yar Zada, Dawood Khan, Imran Khan and Siraj Khan, while Irshad Khan and Azizur Rehman sustained injuries.
Rescue teams shifted the injured officers to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar for treatment. Senior police officials reached the scene soon after the attack and launched a search operation to track down the assailants, who fled following the shooting.
The latest attack comes amid a surge in violence against law enforcement personnel in the province.
On Tuesday, attackers ambushed a police vehicle in Kohat district and martyred six law enforcement personnel, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Asad Mehmood. Officials said the attackers targeted the vehicle near Shakardara Road while officers were transporting two individuals for a court appearance. The assault killed the DSP, an inspector and four constables. One of the detainees also died in the attack. The assailants later set the vehicle on fire.
In another incident the same day, unidentified gunmen shot dead a constable in Mughal Khel village of Wana tehsil in Lower South Waziristan.
Earlier this week, terrorists attacked rescue teams in Karak district and martyred three Federal Constabulary personnel. Last week, an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a checkpost in Bajaur district, killing 11 security personnel.
Authorities continue operations across the region as attacks on security forces intensify in recent days.