Three police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were killed in a terrorist attack on Saturday in the Peshawar region of Pakistan, The News International reported. The attack took place in Peshawar's suburban area where terrorists carried out an attack on Sarband police station in the early hours of Saturday.
Senior superintendent of police operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi said that police station Sarband was attacked with grenades and sniper guns fitted with night vision thermal goggles. Kashif Aftab said that at least six to eight terrorists were involved in the attack, as per The News International report. The SSP Operations said that at least 12 to 14 police personnel were present at the police station at the time of the attack.
The SSP operations said that terrorists lobbed five hand grenades into the compound of the police station. Kashif Aftab said that four grenades were neutralised while one blew up, according to the news report. The police official said that the terrorists managed to flee after the attack. He stated that the search operation has been stopped and would restart during day time to find the attackers.
Police contingents reached the site after the terror attack was reported. The police spokesperson said that the entire area was cordoned off following the assault. Additional police contingents and armoured personnel carriers also reached the spot. The DSP and his two gunmen, Irshad and Jehanzeb died on the spot, as per The News International report.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has condemned the terrorist attack on Sarband Police Station and called it a sorrowful incident. In a statement issued on Saturday, Khan stressed that the sacrifices of police personnel will not go waste and added that police fought with bravery and repulsed the attack.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan condemned the attack and offered condolences to the families of police personnel who lost their lives. He tweeted, "Strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the police station. My condolences & prayers go to the families of the martyrs. The KP govt & its police force are in the frontline of fighting terrorism & must be a central part of any counter terrorism policy."
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has condemned the attack and stated that the government is concerned over the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He tweeted, "The Federation is deeply concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, terrorists are attacking police stations, policemen and officers are being targeted. From the recent incident, it seems that the provincial government has not learned any lesson even from Bannu CTD headquarters."
He further added, "All the energies of the Chief Minister are focused on breaking the assembly, the safety of the people's life and property - peace and order in the province is not the priority of the CM, even the KP police is not safe from terrorist attacks, what will happen to the safety of the people? I pay tribute to the police martyrs, salute their sacrifices."
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