One cop was martyred while three others were injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Mardan’s Katlang tehsil during the early hours of Tuesday, according to an official.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Mardan District Police Officer (DPO) Najeebur Rehman said that a police team headed by Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Aijaz Khan Sherpao headed to the Mata Katlang area on the reported presence of terrorists.

He said that upon spotting the police team, the terrorists opened fire. “The militants also threw a grenade due to which SP Sherpao was martyred,” the DPO said.

He further said that Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naseem Khan and two constables, Mansoor and Saleem, were injured in the incident. He said that the injured were initially taken to Katlang Hospital but were then shifted to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital.

DPO Rehman added that two of the militants were also killed in the exchange of fire.

The DPO said that an additional police contingent arrived at the scene after the SP was martyred, adding that officials had begun a search operation in the area.

In a post on X, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police paid tribute to the martyred SP. Later, it said the funeral prayer of the policeman was offered at the Mardan Police Lines.

Meanwhile, KP Inspector General (IG) Akhtar Hayat Khan paid tribute to the martyred and injured policemen. “Those who sacrifice their lives in the line of defence are the nation’s heroes,” he said in a statement.

“The passion, courage and sense of duty of the martyrs is a beacon light for the entire police force,” the police chief stated, vowing that these sacrifices will not go in vain.

IG Khan further asserted that the cowardly actions of miscreants will not demoralise the force. The official lauded the Mardan police for neutralising terrorist commander Mohsin Qadir, saying that he belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

“The ongoing war against terrorists will continue until the elimination of the last terrorist,” the KP police chief added.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.

KP and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.