QUETTA / BAJAUR: A senior police officer and a tribal elder were killed in two attacks in Sibi and Bajaur on Friday, according to officials.

Sibi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khalid Zaman Marri was passing through the bazaar area in Sibi town when unknown assailants opened fire at his vehicle near the Chanak roundabout area.

The police officer got critically injured after receiving six bullets and was taken to the Combined Military Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries.

One of the attackers was injured after the DSP’s security guard returned fire. He, along with other attackers, managed to flee but was caught by the police near Nishtar Road and shifted to the hospital.

Police officials said the motive behind the attack couldn’t be ascertained immediately, and no group has claimed responsibility.

“We are investigating the attack from all aspects,” Sibi SSP Inayatullah Bangulzai said.

Three alleged militants gunned down in Lakki Marwat

A senior police officer said DSP Marri had served as SP Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sibi.

The victim was the elder brother of Mir Asghar Marri, who was the former district mayor of Sibi.

Tribal elder killed in Bajaur

In Bajaur, a tribal elder was killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in the mountainous area of Barang tehsil.

According to locals and police, the attack occurred in the Asil Targaoo locality at about 9:25am. The target was a tribal elder, Malik Lal Zareef.

The explosive device planted along the road went off when Mr Zareef, who was on foot, reached the spot.

They said that the 55-year-old victim was critically wounded and died before he could be moved to a hospital.

Police have confirmed the explosion and said an investigation has been launched to arrest the culprits. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

A senior police official told Dawn that a team from the Barang police station has launched a search operation, but no arrests have been made so far.

The official added that police personnel have collected evidence from the crime scene.

‘Militants’ killed in Lakki

Separately, three alleged militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Lakki Marwat, officials said on Friday.

A district police official said that the CTD and security forces conducted a joint operation in a rural area of Lakki Marwat on the information about militants’ presence.

“An intense fire exchange took place between security personnel and the militants,” the official said, adding that three alleged militants were gunned down.

They have been identified as Zubair, a local militant commander; Faisal; and Jawad.

They belonged to the Abdulkhel and Nawerkhel areas and were allegedly affiliated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

According to the officials, the militants were involved in attacks on police and security forces, target killings and extortion. Ammunition and explosives were also recovered from their possession.

Following the gunfight, reinforcements arrived in the area, and a search was launched to capture the fleeing militants.

The militants’ presence in several rural localities, including the mountainous areas of Abdulkhel and Shah Hasankhel, is considered a constant threat to peace in the southern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ghulam Mursalin Marwat in Lakki Marwat also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024