SWAT: Four policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured in a clash between police and suspected militants at the mountainous border of Swat and Dir districts on Monday.

According to Swat police, a search operation was being conducted in the mountains of Balasoor area of Matta tehsil, which borders Swat and Dir districts, where some miscreants opened fire on them.

Police said the militants entered Balasoor from Afghanistan through the mountains of Upper Dir and opened fire when surrounded by the police.

While Swat’s district police officer said only one policeman was injured and the militants suffered heavy casualties, unofficial sources said four policemen were hurt, including Matta DSP. Residents said a heavy exchange of fire continued. People living in villages along the road leading to Matta tehsil said they witnessed several police vans rushing towards the area.

“We saw a large number of police vehicles rushing towards Matta on Monday afternoon and many others are still moving towards the area,” said Haider Khan, a resident of Bara Bandai village.

Some posts circulating on social media between Saturday and Sunday claimed that militants had attacked the police station in the Chupriyal area of Matta tehsil. However, SHO Chupriyal Tariq Khan dismissed the reports and said the police had conducted an aerial fire at a suspicious person.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2022