DERA ISMAIL KHAN/BANNU: Two policemen were martyred and as many injured on Monday in what police suspect was an improvised explosive device blast in Tank district.

Sources in the police told Dawn it appeared that an IED was used to target an armoured personnel carrier of the police on Tank-Jandola Road.

They said initial reports suggested that the IED was planted along the roadside and was detonated while the APC was on routine patrol in the limits of Shaheed Mureed Akbar police station.

Consequently, Assistant Sub-Inspector Fareedullah and Constable Akhtar Zaman were martyred, while constables Abdul Malik and Qudratullah sustained injuries, the sources said. They added that the injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital.

The sources said security forces and police cordoned off the site of the incident. Police also launched a search operation, and evidence from the scene was also being collected, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a policeman was killed, and another was abducted in separate incidents, while a gas pipeline was also damaged in a blast in Bannu on Monday.

Police officials said Constable Ziaullah, who was posted to the city police station and was on a 10-day leave, was shot dead by unidentified armed men near Women Vocational College. Police said an investigation had been launched to determine the motive behind the killing.

In the second incident, a head constable, Noor Mohammad, a resident of Mamashkhel Sorwangi and posted to Bakakhel police station, was allegedly abducted by unidentified persons while he was on his way to perform polio duty.

Police sources said that head constables Noor Mohammad and Mehrban had left Bakakhel police station on their motorcycles for polio duty. Noor Mohammad was assigned duty at the Basic Health Unit, Sokari, but he neither reached his designated duty point nor returned to the police station or his home.

Following his disappearance, police launched search operations in different areas, and efforts are underway for his recovery and the arrest of those responsible.

Bannu DPO Captain retired Mohammad Furqan Bilal confirmed the incident, saying that investigations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, unidentified persons also targeted a gas pipeline supplying gas from North Waziristan to Punjab by blowing it up with explosives.

According to police, the incident occurred within the limits of Haved police station in the Amir Hamza Khas area, where explosives planted near the gas pipeline were detonated, causing damage to the pipeline and suspending gas supply to Punjab.

After the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and collected evidence. The gas company’s technical teams were called in to assess the damage and begin restoration work on the damaged pipeline.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026