Two police officers martyred in Taunsa Sharif gun attack

Two police officials, an assistant sub-inspector and a constable, were martyred when motorcycle-riding assailants opened fire on a police team in Taunsa Sharif, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, police tried to stop the motorcyclists near Daira Din Panah Bridge in Taunsa Sharif when the suspects suddenly opened fire.

The attackers had reportedly been flagged based on prior intelligence. However, instead of stopping, they launched an armed assault.

As a result of the firing, ASI Ghulam Shabbir and Constable Ghulam Fareed were martyred on the spot, and the accused succeeded in fleeing.

It is worth mentioning that in February this year, Punjab Police personnel had repelled a major militant attack on the Jhangi (Hazrat Umar Farooq) checkpoint in Taunsa Sharif. The militants were forced to retreat after a fierce exchange.

According to a Punjab Police spokesman, 15 to 20 militants, heavily armed with modern weapons including rocket launchers and hand grenades, attacked the checkpoint under cover of darkness from multiple directions.

The counter-operation was led by RPO Dera Ghazi Khan, Captain (R) Sajjad Hassan Khan Manj, with DPO Dera Ghazi Khan Syed Ali also present on the ground.

The spokesman stated that several militants were killed in the exchange, and a large-scale search operation was launched immediately after the incident.

He further revealed that this checkpoint had also been targeted last year during the night between May 1 and May 2, but the attack had failed.

“This marks the 18th attempted assault on border checkpoints by militants in the last two years, all of which the Punjab Police have successfully foiled,” the spokesman concluded.

Reporter: Azmat Buzdar