Cop martyred, 3 injured as terrorists open fire on raiding CTD party near Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A cop was martyred and three others were injured on Thursday during an exchange of fire between terrorists and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on the outskirts of the provincial capital, police said.

According to a senior CTD official, the department had received information about the presence of terrorists in the Garhi Sherdad area near Warsak Road, following which the authorities planned an operation against them.

“The moment the CTD team reached the area, the terrorists opened fire at the raiding party,” the official said.

In a subsequent post about the raid, KP Police said one CTD personnel embraced martyrdom, while three were injured in exchange of fire.

“In retaliatory action, one terrorist [was] killed,” the statement added, highlighting that a “major terrorist plot” was foiled.

The police said the operation was carried out on “credible intel” about the presence of three would-be suicide bombers.

A video, captured by a quadcopter camera, purportedly showed one of the terrorists climbing from a house and making his way to another, running along the rooftops. The terrorist, who succeeded in climbing up to the main door of the third house, was targeted right on top of the wall by the CTD personnel who had cordoned off the entire area.

The funeral of the martyred cop, Afaaq Khan, was offered at Peshawar’s police headquarters.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, cabinet members, KP Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed, Additional IG CTD Jawad Qamar, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad, and relatives of the martyred cop attended the funeral.

In a statement, Kundi strongly condemned the incident, expressed his condolences to the family of the martyred official and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

“The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain deeply indebted to these brave sons of our soil who put their lives on the line so that others may live in safety,” he said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed an increase in terrorist activity in recent months, with LEAs and security forces being targeted, prompting authorities to intensify counterterrorism operations.

Earlier this month, five terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with CTD of police in Shamshatoo area on the border between Peshawar and Nowshera districts.

Among them was a key commander of the banned ISKP, identified as Imran alias Abdullah alias Bilal alias Abu Bakar, police said.

It added that Imran was a proclaimed offender wanted by CTD as he was involved in a total of 20 cases of bomb blasts, targeted killings of police personnel and political leaders, and other acts of terrorism in Islamabad and other parts of the country.

A week before that, four terrorists, including a militant commander and an Afghan national, were killed in an encounter with CTD in Peshawar’s Badhber area.

A statement issued by CTD said that earlier, militant commander Tahir alias Muawiya, a resident of Shakas in Khyber tribal district, along with his other associates, was seen roaming the area to challenge the writ of the government.