DI KHAN/ KHARAN - At least five policemen were martyred and two others injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off at Kulachi Tehsil here on Thursday.
Police sources said the explosive device went off when a police mobile squad was on patrol in connection with the election security duty in the Gara Aslam area within the limits of Kulachi police station.
Unidentified gunmen also opened fire on police, but they escaped as an additional contingent of police reached the site following receiving information about the incident. The security forces and police launched a search operation in the area to arrest the attackers.
According to Hospital Director MTI DI Khan Dr Farrukh Jamil, five bodies of the martyred police personnel were shifted to the DHQ hospital.
In a statement, interim KP Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the attacks in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Media reports said one person was killed in a firing incident in Tank, although no official has commented on the exact number of casualties or the nature of the incident.
The chief minister said that such incidents would not deter police from performing their duties, affirming that the nation and the state were standing with the law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, two Levies and police personnel were martyred in Balochistan’s Kharan. The district’s deputy commissioner, Munir Ahmed Soomro told reporters that the incident occurred when a Levies vehicle hit a landmine en route to a polling station. The official said seven security personnel were injured in the incident. Those in critical condition were moved to Quetta, DC Soomro added.
