Two policemen killed in terror attack on convoy of judges in NW Pakistan

PESHAWAR: Two police personnel on security duty of judges were killed and two others injured on Friday when their convoy was ambushed by terrorists in the restive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan, police said.

All the three judges remained safe in the shootout.

The judges’ convoy that was proceeding from Tank district courts to their homes in Dera Ismail Khan after duty hours was under tight security arrangements when armed militants attacked it.

“Two policemen were killed in the line of duty while protecting the judges in the convoy from lethal armed attack by the militants. Two others were injured,” a police official said.

The ambush is continuing between the police and militants on Tank- DI Khan road, police said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of the province Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack on judges’ vehicles and sought a report. Expressing his condolences over the death of two policemen, Gandapur also called for making tighter the security cordon for the judges.

The current attack adds to the ongoing series of such terror attacks across the country, but more so in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan experienced 1,514 terror attacks in 2023, resulting in 2,922 casualties, according to a report from the Interior Ministry presented to the National Assembly.

The report reveals that 572 armed forces personnel were killed and 1,292 were injured in these attacks.

The report also covers the period from January to April 2024, during which 561 terror attacks occurred and led to the deaths of 167 security personnel and 118 civilians, the news report said.