10 policemen martyred in DI Khan gun-and-grenade attack

At least 10 policemen were martyred and another six were injured in a gun-and-grenade attack by dozens of terrorists on a police station in Dera Ismail Khan district in the wee hours of Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Police told the media men that the terrorists attacked the Chaudhwan Police Station by lobbing a string of hand-grenades on it and then used heavy weapons at 1:30 am in Tehsil Daraban of the district.

"More than 30 terrorists launched an attack from three directions. There was an exchange of fire for over two and a half hours," Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur told AFP.

He said 10 officers were killed and six wounded in the attack.

Gandapur told AFP that the militants briefly seized control of the police station during the Monday morning assault, which started around 1:30 am.

The police personnel retaliated with full force and were able to beat back the attackers, but they managed to flee the scene due to pitched darkness.

As a result of the gunbattle, 10 policemen were martyred and six more wounded. There was no information about the whether any casualties were inflicted on the terrorists.

The injured cops were rushed to the DHQ Hospital for treatment.

As usual after every militant attack, the security forces personnel cordoned off the whole area and launched a search operation to hunt down the perpetrators.

Additional reinforcements from DI Khan Police Line led by DPO City rushed to the site and collected evidence.

The martyred cops were identified as Muhammad Aslam, Ghulam Fareed, Muhammad Javed, Muhammad Idrees, Muhammad Imran, Safdar, Asi Kausar, Ahtram Syed, Rafiullah and Hameedul Haq.

A senior government official told AFP there was a "severe threat" in southern areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Monday's assault took place.

"Terrorists have now begun to blend in with civilian populations in urban areas, making it difficult to conduct operations against them," the official said, asking not to be identified.

The funeral prayers of the martyred police personnel will be offered at the Police Line later in the day.

The border regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have for years been a hotbed of militancy, with both Pakistan Taliban and Islamic State fighters attacking government and security targets.

The attack comes just days before Pakistan votes in a general elections that has already seen dozens of attacks on candidates and party supporters.

At least 24 militants were killed last week when militants launched raids on a compound of government facilities in Machh town of Balochistan.

Four security personnel and two civilians were also martyred during the attack and subsequent search operations.

Banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for that attack in a statement on social media.

Pakistan's election commission last week said polls would go ahead as planned on Thursday, February 8, after it held an urgent meeting with security officials following a spate of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Thousands of security personnel will be deployed across the country to provide safety to voters.

Reporters Sajid Baloch and Amir Shahzad