KOHAT: One terrorist was killed and an SHO injured during a police encounter with a gang in Shahi Banda area of Lachi tehsil here on Thursday, police said.

The other members of the group managed to retreat into a jungle taking away their one injured companion in the action taken in the wee hours of Thursday. SHO Lachi, Afzal Awan, was injured in the fire exchange.

Sources said that the gang had killed an SHO and three other policemen the other day in Lachi in an attack on their patrol vehicle.

SP operations Jameel Akhar told a press conference in the DPO office that the terrorist was identified as Inamullah of Sarak Banda area of Hangu who was wanted by police in target killing, robbery, extortion and kidnapping cases.

He said that the police received intelligence-based information that the terrorist gang was present in a jungle in the area after which a police party was constituted and sent to the area. He said that as soon the police party reached the area the terrorists attacked it by intensive firing and with hand grenades.

He said that the encounter lasted for hours, but at last the militants fled into the jungle. Later, the police found the body of one terrorist, identified as Inamullah.

When contacted, SHO Afzal Awan, who was admitted to the KDA hospital, told this scribe on phone that the terrorist belonged to the Akhtar gang and had taken revenge from the martyred SHO Khanullah for taking their women into custody to put pressure for surrender of some proclaimed offenders.

He said that he saw another terrorist in injured condition on Thursday, but he escaped.

Mr Awan said that one bullet pierced through his leg, but he was now okay. It merits a mention that Mr Awan was the same SHO who was posted in Ustarzai to arrest the killer of NGO worker Hina Shahnawaz. He had arrested all the eight accused within two weeks.

He was given a task by transferring him to Lachi to also bust the gang of terrorists that killed four police officials on May 20, 2017.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2017