Five embrace martyrdom in K-P attacks

Two customs officers and their informer targeted in DI Khan

LANDI KOTAL/ DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

Five people were killed in separate attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, officials reported on Sunday. In Dera Ismail Khan, two customs officers and a civilian were martyred, while in another incident in the same city, a Frontier Corps soldier was killed. Additionally, a policeman was martyred in a village near Landi Kotal.

In the first attack near a toll plaza in Dera Ismail Khan, unidentified assailants opened fire on a customs vehicle, resulting in the deaths of two officers and a civilian informer. Two others were injured in the incident. The attackers fled the scene after the assault.

Police and law enforcement agencies arrived at the crime scene, cordoning off the area for investigation. The martyred officers were identified as Inspector Hasnain and Constable Ziad Jadoun, while the civilian was identified as Amir. Their bodies were transferred to Dera Ismail Khan District Headquarters Hospital, where the injured were also treated.

Security in regions of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan has deteriorated in recent years. Attacks, some claimed by the Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group, have risen, mostly targeting police and security officials. "Customs officials were present for checks... when unknown persons opened fire," said the district deputy superintendent of police, Muhammad Adnan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack on customs officers and extended condolence to their families.

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On Thursday, five customs intelligence officials and two civilians, including a five-year-old girl, were martyred when unidentified gunmen ambushed them and escaped from the scene in Dera Ismail Khan.

In the second attack, unidentified assailants targeted an FC soldier, who had arrived in Dera Ismail Khan on a leave after finishing his training, in the limits of Kalachi police station.

The FC soldier, identified as Muhammad Zubair, was martyred at his brother’s cellular phone shop by unidentified motorcyclists, who opened fire on him.

The Kalachi deputy superintendent of police said Zubair was on duty in FC Balochistan and had reached his native city on a leave after finishing his training.

He added that the FC soldier was supposed to return to his duty on Sunday morning when he was targeted.

In the third attack, a policeman identified as Ameen was martyred by unidentified people in a village near Landi Kotal when they opened fire on him.

(With input from Reuters)