Deputy Commissioner Shah Wali’s murder marks second attack on official on Miranshah-Bannu link road in a month
The burnt remains of Deputy Commissioner Shah Wali’s vehicle on Miranshah Road on Tuesday. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA/ BANNU:
North Waziristan Deputy Commissioner Shah Wali and three others were martyred on Tuesday when unidentified assailants ambushed their vehicle on Miranshah Road, police and district officials said.
The deputy commissioner was traveling from Miranshah to Bannu on his official duties. According to police, the attackers on motorcycles opened fire on the vehicle before setting it on fire and fleeing the scene.
The burnt remains of Deputy Commissioner Shah Wali’s vehicle on Miranshah Road on Tuesday. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Police confirmed that four people were killed in the attack. They were identified as AC Shah Wali, Constable Syed Rehman, Constable Sher Rehman and a passerby, Aziz-ur-Rehman.
Two other police officers, identified as Constable Faheem and Constable Rais, were seriously injured in the attack and were immediately rushed to Bannu Hospital for medical treatment.
A contingent of police and security forces arrived at the scene, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Police called the incident a targeted attack.
Confirming the increased security, DIG Bannu Sajjad Khan stated that law enforcement agencies are coordinating closely to track down the attackers.
“Security forces and police are carrying out a joint operation,” DIG Khan said. “Security in the area has been placed on high alert and the investigation continues from all angles.”
The ambush is the latest in a series of targeted attacks against state officials along the strategic Miranshah-Bannu link road.
Chief Minister KP Sohail Afridi condemned the terrorist attack on the convoy and expressed grief over the martyrdom of the deputy commissioner, two policemen and a passerby. “The sacrifices of the martyrs will not be in vain and those responsible will be brought to justice,” he stated.
The Prime Minister requested a detailed report of the incident from the Inspector General of Police and ordered that the injured receive immediate and high-quality medical treatment.
Afridi added that the provincial government stands with the families of the martyrs, providing them with all possible support.
Read: Three terrorists killed in North Waziristan and Tank districts
Just a few weeks earlier, on November 4, North Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Waqar Khan’s convoy was attacked on the same route. In that attack, armed men lying in wait opened fire with automatic and heavy weapons. The DPO escaped unharmed in his armored vehicle, but five police officers were injured.
Security forces have intensified operations in the region to counter the threat posed by the illegal Fitna al-Khawarij group. In recent intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan and Tank districts, security forces killed three terrorists, including two Afghan nationals identified as Qasim and Ikramuddin alias Abu Dajana.
Officials have repeatedly flagged the involvement of Afghan citizens in cross-border terrorist activities, and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) urged the interim Afghan government to deny use of its land to terrorists.
