KP police approve Special Combat Unit for targeted anti-terror operations

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have put in place rules and regulations for the establishment of a Special Combat Unit, a new strike force intended to conduct intelligence-based targeted operations against terrorists in the province, according to an official statement issued by the office of Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed.

The statement said the move followed recent approval from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Policy Board. It described the Special Combat Unit as a highly trained and well-equipped force that will comprise 400 personnel selected from the police elite force. Those chosen for the unit will undergo strict medical, psychological and physical screening and will be exempt from routine policing assignments.

Operational structure and deployment

According to the official statement, the unit’s operational model has been prepared in line with international standards. It will be organised into companies of 45 personnel each and posted to frontline positions in the province’s most sensitive areas for 90 days at a time. During deployment, the force will carry out joint operations under the command of either the district police officer or the commander of the Counter-Terrorism Department.

After completing each 90-day operational cycle, personnel will be sent to the Elite Police Training Centre in Nowshera for 30 days of mandatory training. The statement said the refresher period would be used to build additional combat capability and allow members of the unit to share field experience with other cadets.

IGP calls move a milestone

IGP Zulfiqar Hameed said the enforcement of the Special Combat Unit Regulatory Rules marked an important development in the history of the provincial police and would support more effective action against what he described as enemies of peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In the statement, he said the force would not be restricted to conventional weapons and would instead be equipped with newer capabilities suited to current operational needs.

“We are not limiting our personnel to conventional weapons, instead, we are equipping them with the most modern demands of the era, such as the drone technology, sniper skills, and hand-to-hand combat expertise, to make them an invincible force,” he said in a statement.

The inspector general added that eliminating all forms of militancy from the province and safeguarding people’s lives and property remained the police force’s priority.