DI Khan: Two police personnel were martyred and four others injured on Thursday when an improvised explosive device (IED) struck an armoured personnel carrier (APC) near Kari Malang on the Hathala–Galoti Road, officials confirmed.
According to police, an unidentified terrorist detonated the roadside bomb as an APC from the Takwara police post passed through the area. Constable Saifur Rehman and Ramzan, the APC driver, lost their lives in the blast.
The injured — Mehmood Alam, Asif Rehman, Kifayat, and Shahid, an FC havaldar — were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Security forces immediately cordoned off the site and launched a search operation.
The attack occurred near Takwara village in the Hathala area, approximately 35 kilometres from Dera Ismail Khan and 10 kilometres from Kulachi tehsil, on a route leading to South Waziristan. The locality, which houses the Hathala police station, is considered a high-risk zone where police routinely patrol in armoured vehicles due to persistent security threats.
Officials said the attack was carried out using a locally manufactured, high-intensity IED weighing between 8 and 10 kilograms.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the incident, describing the attack as “extremely regrettable and condemnable”. He vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice and emphasised that such cowardly acts would not weaken the resolve of the provincial government or its security forces.
“The fight against terrorism will continue with even greater determination,” he said, paying tribute to the sacrifices of the martyred personnel.
The chief minister said all available resources would be utilised to ensure peace and eliminate terrorism, reaffirming the government’s full support for the police and law enforcement agencies. He has also directed the Inspector General of Police, KP, to submit an immediate report on the incident.
