Six police officers killed while repelling a TTP assault.
Nine policemen and a mosque prayer leader were killed, while twelve others—eleven cops and one civilian—sustained injuries in a bold terrorist assault on the police training school in a southern area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa late Friday night, as revealed by the military’s media wing on Saturday.
During the night of October 10-11, terrorists attempted to penetrate the perimeter wall of the police training school in Dera Ismail Khan; however, their malicious intentions were promptly thwarted by the alert and determined actions of the law enforcement officers there, according to a statement from the ISPR. The assailants crashed an explosive-laden truck into the entrance of the compound.
“Exhibiting steadfast bravery and professional proficiency, police officers confronted the intruders, neutralizing three Khwarij affiliated with the Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij, according to the ISPR.” Fitna al Khawarij is the official designation for the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates.
The assault incited an intense gunbattle resulting in the martyrdom of six policeman, including trainees, who shown valor, while 12 policemen and one civilian sustained injuries. “The statement indicated that the remaining two intruding Khwarij in a building complex were subsequently neutralised by security forces during a meticulous clearance operation.”
“In this egregious assault, the Khwarij targeted the mosque within the school complex, desecrating the sacred site of worship and brutally murdering the imam, an innocent civilian fulfilling his responsibilities at the school,” the statement declared.
The ISPR stated that the sanitization operation is ongoing in the area, and the perpetrators of the “atrocious and cowardly act will be held accountable.”
The security forces, in conjunction with Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies, remain resolute in their determination to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country. The sacrifices of our courageous soldiers and innocent civilians reinforce our steadfast commitment to protecting our nation at all costs, the statement asserted.
TTP asserts responsibility for assaults
The proscribed TTP asserted responsibility for the lethal assaults in several regions of K-P, which the group alleges resulted in 23 fatalities, according to AFP. The assaults, including the rampage at the police training facility, occurred on Friday.
The assaults occurred shortly after the Taliban government in adjacent Afghanistan charged Pakistan with “violating Kabul’s sovereign territory,” following two bombings reported in the Afghan capital the previous day. Pakistan refrained from confirming its involvement in the Kabul explosions but asserted its right to defend itself against escalating border militancy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “vehemently denounces” the attacks that occurred on Friday, according to a statement from his office. The statement asserted, “Such cowardly acts by terrorists cannot undermine our determination to combat terrorism.” “We are resolute in our commitment to eradicate terrorism from the nation.”
Islamabad alleges that Afghanistan has not eradicated terrorists utilizing Afghan territory to perpetrate assaults on Pakistan, a claim that officials in Kabul refute. The TTP and its affiliates are responsible for the most of the violence.
Earlier this year, a UN report indicated that the TTP “receives significant logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities,” alluding to the Taliban rule.
According to a military official on Friday, almost 500 individuals, comprising 311 soldiers and 73 police officers, have been martyred in attacks from January to September 15.