In a tragic incident highlighting the persistent security challenges in the region, Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali and three other individuals were martyred on Tuesday in a brazen ambush in North Waziristan. The attack occurred on the strategic Miranshah-Bannu road, a route that has seen a series of similar assaults on state officials.
Details of the Ambush
According to police and district administration officials, the assailants, who remain unidentified, targeted the vehicle of Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali as he was traveling from Miranshah to Bannu on official duty. The attackers, riding motorcycles, opened fire on the official's vehicle before setting it ablaze and fleeing the scene. The charred wreckage of the car was later photographed at the site.
The police confirmed the martyrdom of four people in the assault. They were identified as Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali, Constable Syed Rehman, Constable Sher Rehman, and a passerby named Aziz-ur-Rehman. Additionally, two police personnel, Constable Faheem and Constable Rais, sustained serious injuries. They were promptly shifted to Bannu Hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Security Response and Regional Context
Following the attack, a large contingent of police and security forces immediately reached the location. They cordoned off the area and launched a comprehensive search operation to apprehend the perpetrators. Police have officially termed the incident a targeted attack.
This ambush is the latest in a disturbing pattern of violence targeting government officials along the vital Miranshah-Bannu link road. Notably, just weeks earlier on November 4, the convoy of North Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Waqar Khan was targeted on the same route. In that earlier attack, armed men used automatic and heavy weapons, injuring five police personnel, though the DPO escaped unharmed in his bulletproof vehicle.
Ongoing Counter-Terrorism Operations
In response to the heightened threat, security forces have intensified their operations across the region. These actions are specifically aimed at countering the menace posed by the outlawed militant group, referred to here as Fitna al-Khawarij. Recent intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in North Waziristan and the neighboring Tank district have yielded results, with security forces eliminating three terrorists.
Among those killed were two Afghan nationals, identified as Qasim and Ikramuddin, who also used the alias Abu Dajana. Pakistani officials have consistently pointed to the involvement of Afghan nationals in cross-border terrorist activities. The military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has repeatedly urged the interim Afghan government to take decisive action and deny the use of its soil to terrorist elements operating against Pakistan.
