Nine police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred and 28 others injured on Wednesday after terrorists attacked the Khazina Banda checkpost in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district.
According to a statement issued by KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed, members of the Fitna al-Khawarij—the state’s designation for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan—attacked the post, prompting a brave response from the police personnel present. He said additional forces were dispatched to aid the personnel but the terrorists ambushed the contingent, damaging an armored personnel carrier.
Hameed said that despite these challenges, the personnel fought with bravery and professionalism. “Fifteen kharji were killed while multiple others were injured due to the police’s response,” he said, adding the intense and long exchange of fire resulted in the martyrdom of nine cops, including DSP Diyar Khan, while 28 others were injured.
The IG maintained that KP police’s morale and resolve remained strong, adding the battle to wipe out terrorists from every corner of the province would continue.
Also on Wednesday, a police checkpost in the Adezai area of Peshawar was also attacked by terrorists, but was repulsed with no injuries to the law enforcers.
In separate statements, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on the Khazina Banda checkpost in Hangu, expressing “deep grief” over the martyrdoms and reiterating a vow to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan.
Praying for the martyrs’ ranks and the recovery of the injured, President Zardari commended KP Police for eliminating terrorists.
The prime minister, meanwhile, commended KP Police for eliminating 15 terrorists in a “retaliatory operation.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, offering his condolences to the families of the martyred officials, and praying for the recovery of the injured.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, meanwhile, has sought a detailed report on the incident from the IG and paid tribute to the DSP and other police personnel who embraced martyrdom in the attack. He has directed the provincial government to extend every possible support to the families of the martyrs.
Terming the personnel’s sacrifices as “unforgettable,” he stressed that these would not go in vain and establishing peace remained his government’s top priority.