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MARDAN / PESHAWAR: A senior police officer was martyred and two others were injured during an intelligence-based operation in tehsil Katlang of Mardan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the early hours of Tuesday.
Two high-profile militant leaders belonging to a local chapter of the outlawed TTP were also killed during the hours-long operation.
Police identified the martyred officer as Superintendent Ijaz Khan Sherpao, while Deputy Superintendent Naseem Khan and a cop were injured.
The slain militants were identified as Mohsin Qadir, head of the TTP local chapter, and his deputy Abbas.
Two TTP militants killed, police say
KP police chief Akhtar Hayat Khan told Dawn that it was a well-planned operation conducted by the CTD, police and intelligence agencies.
Police record shows Mohsin Qadir was wanted in 21 cases and his deputy Abbas in 11 cases. Mohsin Qadir was carrying a head money of Rs7 million and Abbas Rs6.5m. Sources told Dawn that Mohsin Qadir was a former SSG commando.
The police chief said they were sending the name of the martyred officer for the Quaid-i-Azam Police Medal.
Police officials told Dawn that SP Sherpao, along with personnel of law enforcement agencies, carried out the operation on the reported presence of militants.
The officials said that during the operation security personnel encircled the hideouts of militants; however, SP Sherpo embraced martyrdom while DSP Khan and his gunman received bullet injuries during the operation.
The injured police officials were taken to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital, where their condition is stated to be stable.
Meanwhile, the funeral prayer for the martyred SP was offered in the Police Lines, Mardan.
He was laid to rest at a graveyard in his native village of Sherpo in Charsadda.
Cop martyred in Peshawar
Separately, a policeman was martyred and another injured when unknown militants opened fire on them in limits of Phandu police station in Peshawar.
Police said the incident took place when Ababeel Squad personnel signalled suspicious motorcyclists to stop, but they opened fire, injuring constables Qaiser Khan and Rahim Niaz.
Qaiser Khan later died at the hospital. His funeral prayer was offered at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines.
Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2024
