F.P. Report
LOWER DIR: The Lower Dir police on Thursday claimed to have killed two militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (Bajaur) during an encounter with a police party at Khat Kalay area of Talash here late on Wednesday night.
Briefing local journalists at his office, the district police officer Lower Dir Tariq Iqbal said that both the terrorists identified as Burhanud Din and Hafeezullah alias Umar, residents of Alladand Malakand, were involved in the murder of a traffic police officer, Bakht Zamin, who was martyred in his uniform at Talash bazaar on April 4. The SP Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Amjad Khan, DSP headquarters Fakhr e Alam Khan and other police officers were also in attendance.
The CTD police station Kabal Swat registered a murder case against unknown killer{s}. The DPO said that an expert police team worked day and night through CCTV footages, human intelligence and other technical devices to trace the blind killing of Shaheed Bakht Zamin and finally reached the riders who had escaped from the crime scene. The DPO said that police were informed about the presence of two suspects at Khat Kalay in Talash last night. He said the accused hurled a hand grenade on a police van that did not explode.
The militants also fired on police but the raiding party remained unhurt. In retaliation both the terrorists were killed on the spot. The DPO said the bodies were brought to the THQ hospital Talash and later dispatched to Malakand district. Police also recovered two pistols, 6 cartridges, one hand grenade, two mobile sets and a motorcycle from the militants’ possession. The DPO said that over 100 suspects and dozens of motorcycles had been taken into custody during the investigation but the majority of them were cleared. Responding to queries, the DPO clarified that the accused belonged to the TTP Bajaur group and they were wanted to police in several other cases. He said both the accused were also relatives and they had migrated to Malakand district from Sor Bat Barawal in Upper Dir. He said the main objective of the attack on a police constable at Talash bazaar was spreading harassment and panic among the peaceful citizens.
He appreciated the locals for fully cooperating with the police in the identification of the militants. The DPO also thanked the local intelligence institutions for supporting police in tracing the group. About another question the DPO said the militants were looking for a soft target and Talash was the best option for them as no one could expect a terror act there.
