Convoy of Judges Attacked in Pakistan's Tank, 2 Cops Killed

Peshawar: Two policemen were killed and two others were injured after a convoy of judges traveling home after duty hours in the restive northwest region of Pakistan was attacked on Friday, according to local police. The judges were moving from the Tank district courts to their homes in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, under tight security when armed militants ambushed the convoy on Dera Road in the village of Bhagwal. Fortunately, the judges remained unhurt.

Following the attack, police retaliated, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. During this exchange, two policemen, Constable Abdullah and Constable Samad, were killed, and two others were injured.

“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.

This attack is part of a continuing series of terror incidents across the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In 2023, Pakistan experienced 1,514 terror attacks, resulting in 2,922 casualties, according to a report from the Interior Ministry presented to the National Assembly. 

A news portal said 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, leading to the deaths of 167 security personnel and 118 civilians.