PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said on Saturday that an overnight clearance operation following the deadly two-pronged assault near a mosque in Kohat district’s old Police Lines had been completed, saying that a total of eight terrorists were killed.
According to officials, the operation lasted approximately 21 hours.
In an official handout, KP police said that eight terrorists were killed in retaliatory action by police and security forces. It said that the operation had concluded, adding that Elite Force commandos, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) teams, and security forces had cleared key areas of the buildings.
According to the statement, KP Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed was present at the scene. It added that the operation was led by the CTD additional IG, the Kohat regional police officer and the Kohat district police officer. It said that the Kohat general officer commanding was also present.
“Law enforcement agencies achieved success following an overnight operation,” it said.
The statement said IG Hameed commended the officers who participated in the operation and announced rewards for them.
“Police, CTD, and security forces fought valiantly; these brave personnel are the pride of the nation,” he said.
“The terrorists’ nefarious designs have been thwarted, and we will ensure their complete elimination,” he said.
Earlier, a CTD statement said that the additional IG was injured in a grenade attack by terrorists during the operation. According to the statement, the terrorists had entered the Special Branch building after the suicide attack on the mosque.
The statement said the CTD additional IG had been on the frontline since Friday afternoon, supervising the ongoing operation against Fitna al-Khawarij along with police personnel.
The state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
It said the additional IG sustained a hand injury in a grenade attack carried out by the terrorists during the operation. After receiving first aid, he returned to the frontline to supervise the operation and boost the morale of the personnel, the statement added.
At least 21 people, including 15 police officials, were martyred on Friday and over 100 were wounded when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque in Kohat’s old Police Lines, followed by terrorists storming the compound and attacking police facilities.
Among the slain were SP Traffic Akbar Shinwari, head of the paediatric department at DHQ Hospital Dr Israel Orakzai, and Special Branch and CTD officials.
The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen.
The funeral prayers for the 15 martyred police personnel were offered in Kohat on Friday evening, after which their bodies were transported to their native districts of Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mardan in Rescue 1122 ambulances.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi sought a detailed report on the incident, saying the targeting of innocent citizens was “deeply regrettable and unacceptable”, according to a statement issued by his office. He directed authorities to ensure immediate treatment for the injured.
“The nation’s morale cannot be dampened by cowardly acts of terrorism,” he said.
It may be recalled that in 2010, 20 people, mostly relatives of policemen, were killed and more than 90 injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast inside a police colony located just behind the Kohat Police Lines. The explosion had taken place in Ramazan during Iftar.
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