Attack 2025unidentified armed men in Bannu Cantonment while heading to duty; latestmilitant attack raises alarm over rising targeted killings of securitypersonnel.
ISLAMABAD: In yet another brazen assault on law enforcement personnel inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Police Constable Muhammad Tariq was martyred on Sundaymorning when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire on him within thelimits of Bannu Cantonment. The attack took place as the constable was enroute from his residence to the Regional Police Officer (RPO) Bannu officewhere he was posted on security duty.
According to police officials, the assailants ambushed Constable Tariq neara busy intersection inside the high-security cantonment area, firingmultiple rounds before fleeing the scene. The victim received criticalbullet wounds to the chest and head and was rushed to the Combined MilitaryHospital Bannu, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.Eyewitnesses reported hearing at least eight to ten shots in quicksuccession, sending panic through the usually guarded locality.
A heavy contingent of police and Frontier Constabulary reached the crimescene immediately after the incident was reported, cordoning off the areaand launching a search operation in surrounding neighbourhoods. Seniorpolice officers, including the District Police Officer Bannu, personallysupervised the initial investigation. Sources within the force confirmedthat Constable Tariq had no known personal enmity and was considered aroutine target in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to demoralise thepolice department amid an alarming surge in targeted killings across theprovince.
The martyred constable, a resident of Bannu city, leaves behind a wife andthree minor children. His funeral prayers will be offered this afternoon atPolice Lines Bannu with full official honours, after which he will be laidto rest in his ancestral graveyard. Colleagues described him as a dedicatedofficer who had served in various sensitive assignments during the peak ofmilitancy in the region.
This latest incident marks the third targeted killing of a police officialin Bannu district within the past month, highlighting the deterioratingsecurity situation despite repeated claims of improved intelligence-basedoperations. Militant outfits, particularly splinter groups of the bannedTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have intensified attacks on securityforces following the breakdown of peace talks last year. The provincialgovernment and military leadership have repeatedly vowed to eliminateterrorist remnants, yet such daylight executions continue to expose glaringgaps in ground intelligence and protective measures for lower-rankpersonnel.
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Police authorities have registered a first information report againstunknown assailants under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code andAnti-Terrorism Act. Forensic teams have collected shell casings from thescene, while CCTV footage from nearby installations is being examined toidentify the perpetrators. The Inspector General of Police KhyberPakhtunkhwa has announced a special cash reward for any information leadingto the arrest of those responsible and ordered an urgent high-level inquiryinto the breach of security within cantonment limits.
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