Islamabad, March 18 (IANS) Pakistan’s violence-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces continue to witness a major acceleration in targeted terror attacks against security personnel with clashes and counter-terrorism operations also resulting in casualties of militants over the past 24 hours.
As per the latest details, fresh clashes have been reported from different parts of KP and Balochistan in which police officials, constables, security personnel and others have been targeted in ambush attacks, grenade attacks and targeted incidents.
Police sources said that a policeman was killed and another injured while at least six militants were killed in various attacks in the KP province.
In KP’s Bannu city, armed motorcyclists targeted the Lower Head Constable (LHC) while he was on duty at the Miranshah road. The attacks resulted in the death of the constable even as the attackers escaped the scene.
The KP police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) commandos also killed two terrorists during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in Bannu.
“Terrorists opened fire when the policemen got close to their hideout, leading to a gun battle which lasted for half an hour. The cops seized arms and ammunition and shifted their bodies to a hospital,” said a police official.
In Lakki Marwat area of KP, police officials foiled a militant attack on a police station in Serai Gambila. Police sources confirmed that the attackers targeted the police station with light and heavy weapons, adding that the police official on duty foiled the attack after a major gunbattle with the terrorists which lasted 15 minutes.
KP Police also destroyed many hideouts of terrorists in the mountainous area of Kurram Par after a two-day clearance operation. Police sources said that the operation was launched on Saturday after militants attacked Dadiwala police station and Abbas Khattak police post. This resulted in violent clashes and fierce exchange of gunfire between the terrorists and the police officials. One terrorist was killed in the clashes.
At least three militants were also killed in a shootout with security forces in the Khyber District after the security forces conducted an IBO in Tor Darra area.
In Balochistan’s Khuzdar, five people were injured in a grenade attack. “The grenade exploded inside a house injuring the father of a police officer and four children of his brothers. Some portions of the house were damaged in the incident,” confirmed the police authorities.
Details revealed that the attack was targeted at the house of Qadir Sheikh in Khuzdar who is the Station House Officer (SHO) of Balochistan’s Hub city.
Earlier, a bomb attack on the security forces convoy in Balochistan’s Nushki district claimed the lives of at least three security personnel and two civilians.
In another incident, a police officer was killed while at least six others were injured in a blast near Balochistan’s Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF) vehicle in the provincial capital Quetta.
The latest wave of attacks follow the Jaffar Express passenger train hijacking by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) members in the Bolan pass that resulted in the killing of at least 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel. Five security personnel were also martyred during the two-day clearance operation.
–IANS
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