Two officials were martyred and two others injured when militants attacked Yarik police station and a customs office in Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday, police said.
According to officials, attackers opened fire with automatic weapons on the Yarik police station and a nearby customs office, located along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route.
A police spokesperson said the officials martyred in the attack were customs official Israr Khan and police constable Mohammad Bilal.
The injured, identified as Hazrat Umar and Khayal Mohammad, were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital’s trauma centre, where they were undergoing treatment.
Police said the attackers also fired at passenger buses travelling on the CPEC route, causing panic in the area. A customs vehicle was set ablaze during the assault.
Security personnel returned fire, prompting the assailants to flee. A heavy police contingent reached the site soon after the incident, and a search operation was launched in the surrounding area.
Investigations are underway, and officials said efforts were ongoing to apprehend those involved in the attack.
Earlier this month, at least four policemen, including a station house officer (SHO), were martyred when armed militants attacked a police party in Paniala’s Wanda Budh area of Dera Ismail Khan.
In a statement, the CTD said eight armed men were killed during a security operation in Quetta’s Darakhshan area.
“Eight armed persons were killed in a fire exchange during the operation,” read the statement, adding that three CTD personnel were injured during the action.
According to the CTD, weapons and ammunition were recovered from the killed miscreants. It noted that the dead individuals were said to be from a banned outfit.
In a separate statement, the CTD said “six terrorists were killed in a fire exchange” during an intelligence-based operation in Barkhan.
“All security personnel remained safe,” it stated, adding that arms and ammunition were recovered from the killed militants.
“The terrorists were involved in the planning of disruptive actions,” the CTD said, reaffirming to continue its efforts to eliminate terrorism.
The operations come as the state intensifies its counter-terrorism operations amid a tense security situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On February 5, security forces concluded “Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1” in Balochistan, killing a total of 216 terrorists in days-long clearance operations, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The operation was initiated as security forces responded to a spate of attacks across the province on January 31, which brought parts of the restive province to a standstill for several days.
During simultaneous operations, around 180 suspects were arrested and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized by Frontier Corps and police, officials said.