QUETTA: Two traffic policemen were gunned down while another was injured when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on them on Sirki Road on Sunday evening. Policemen of the Falcon Squad fired at the attackers and killed them both on the spot.

According to official sources, the deceased personnel were identified as Head Constable Bashir Ahmed and Constable Muhammad Rasheed. The two were on their way home after their duty near Capri Cinema when the incident took place.

As a result of the firing three traffic police officials were injured and later two of them succumbed to injuries before reaching the hospital.

Police and Frontier Constabulary personnel rushed to the site and shifted the bodies to the civil hospital. Four eye-witnesses were also injured in the firing and rushed to the hospital.

They were identified as Muhammad Shafiq, Khuda-i-Dad, Haji Muhammad Akhtar and Muhammad Jan. The condition of one of the injured is said to be serious.

Deputy Inspector General Police Quetta Range Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed that the incident and said that the personnel of the police falcon squad, who were patrolling the area, opened fire on the attackers who were trying to escape.

As result, both the assailants were killed on the spot.

“Our Falcon Squad personnel killed both the attackers who were trying to escape from the scene on their motorcycle,” said DIG Cheema.

The bodies of attackers were shifted to the hospital after they were taken into custody.

“We are investigating the incident and making efforts to identify the suspected militants,” said a senior police officer, adding that no one had claimed responsibility of the attack so far.

Meanwhile, provincial home minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti strongly condemned the incident and said that the killing of police personnel was deplorable incident.

However, he said that there was some satisfaction in the fact that the Falcon Squad personnel killed the attackers. “It sends out a message to the militants that we are ready to protect our people all the time,” he said adding that the sacrifices of our forces would be always remembered.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2018