Cop, civilian martyred in North Waziristan terror attack

MIRANSHAH: A cop and a civilian were martyred and three other personnel sustained injuries when terrorists attacked the security squad of the deputy commissioner with automatic weapons in Ipi area in Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan tribal district on Tuesday. Sources said that the police squad was escorting North Waziristan's Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan to Bannu on the way to Peshawar for attending a meeting and the incident happened when the personnel of the escort squad were on way back to Miranshah, North Waziristan, in the afternoon. The terrorists, they added, ambushed the police squad and opened indiscriminate fire on the personnel with automatic weapons. As a result, a cop identified as Alif Rahman and a civilian named Hayatullah, a resident of Bakkakhel, received multiple bullet injuries and embraced martyrdom on the spot.

Three other cops, Faqir Muhammad of Spalga, Zarnawaz of Tapi and Salimullah of Razmak in North Waziristan sustained injured in the attack.

The attackers, the sources said, fled the scene unchallenged by the police squad.

A source initially said that Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan was with the escort squad at the time of attack by the terrorists.

However, it was later confirmed that he had left for Peshawar from Bannu and was not with his security team when it came under attack at Ipi village in Mir Ali tehsil.

The incident occurred some three kilometres away from Mir Ali Bazaar, which prompted the worried shopkeepers to pull down shutters and close the market.