PESHAWAR: Bahadur Khan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) belonging to the counter-terrorism department (CTD) of Peshawar police, was gunned down by armed men in Gulbahar area of Peshawar on Wednesday morning.

Muhammad Khorasani, spokesperson for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed that the militant organisation was behind the killing.

Peshawar SSP (operations) Dr Mian Saeed said that DSP Bahadur Khan was on his way to drop his daughter off to school when motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire on him as the police officer's vehicle neared Anam Sanam chowk in Peshawar's Gulbahar area.

DSP Khan's daughter remained unhurt in the attack.

Police sources added that the slain DSP had been receiving threats from unknown militants.

The attackers manged to escape from the scene after the incident.

Police and rescue personnel reached the spot.

Security personnel cordoned off the area as a probe into the incident went underway.

Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal areas which have been labelled by Washington as the main sanctuary for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the country.

The city has seen frequent attacks by militants in the past few years, with targets ranging from civilians to policemen and other law enforcement personnel