SHANGLA: The top police officer of Shangla survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Shekolai near Malam Jabba on Saturday.

Shangla District Police Officer (DPO) Shah Hassan was going to visit a checkpoint that was attacked by terrorists earlier in the day when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his convoy.

DPO Hassan told Dawn that a security vehicle escorting him was damaged in the attack. However, no casualties were reported.

Earlier, terrorists attacked a checkpoint in Shekolai, a remote village in the Puran tehsil, DPO Shah confirmed.

However, the attack was successfully thwarted by the police officers stationed at the checkpoint.

DPO was on his way to visit checkpoint attacked earlier

DPO Shah said cops stationed at the checkpoint remained unharmed in the assault. However, the police post was damaged due to heavy gunfire.

“The exchange of fire between the terrorists and police personnel continued for nearly four hours,” the officer said, adding reinforcements were sent to the attack site.

A statement issued by his spokesperson earlier quoted the official as saying that the terrorists were armed with heavy weaponry.

The DPO added that the “timely and effective response” by the cops forced the terrorists to flee the area.

The attackers “eventually escaped to the nearby mountains, and a police team was sent to the surrounding area to track them down”.

DPO Shah added that he, along with other police officers, left to visit the checkpoint after learning about the incident.

“As we entered the Shekolai area and crossing Dowa Khwar Mor (Dowa stream turn), an IED exploded near our vehicles,” the DPO elaborated in the statement.

He added that a security vehicle was damaged in the attack, but the convoy with six to seven vehicles remained unharmed.

The DPO said a large-scale search operation had been launched in the area to track the terrorist down.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed has lauded the bravery of police personnel who thwarted the attack on the checkpoint.

A statement by the KP Police’s Public Relations Department said the IGP also announced cash prizes and appreciation certificates for the policemen.

This is the first terrorist incident in Shangla district in two months.

The area had witnessed multiple attacks on police throughout 2024 and early 2025, resulting in the deaths of several cops.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2025