KOHAT, Aug 20 The police have divided the district into three zones and deployed Quick Response Force to combat terrorism and control crimes in the region.

District Police Officer (DPO) Abdullah Khan, while chairing a meeting here on Wednesday, said that a batch 50 policemen was being given training by commandos at an army facility in Kohat. Similarly, a group of 137 police officers and constables had been sent to Mardan where it would be provided training by the Special Services Group.

The district had been divided into Jangle Khel, Saddar and Cantonment circles where senior police officers had been assigned important tasks about crushing militants and criminals. DSPs Lal Fareed, Ehsanullah and Shakirullah Khan had been appointed as commanders of the three teams.

The teams constituted two platoons of anti-terrorists squads, eight platoons of the Frontier reserve police, eight platoons of the Frontier constabulary equipped with modern weapons, two bullet poof vehicles, eight mobile pick-ups, 20 rocket launchers, 20 grenade launchers, 10 night vision goggles, 80 bullet-proof jackets and ten machine guns fitted on mobile vehicles.

He said extra troops and police had been deployed at most sensitive parts including Kotal Pass, Gulshanabad, Kohat Tunnel, Gham Kol Sharif, Ublan and Shindand which were close to the tribal belt and Tanda Dam, Darmalak, Sumari, Neelao Kandao and Khushalgarh Bridge.

He said that the Quick Response Force would perform its duties in a public friendly manner and take action against terrorists and hardened criminals.

BOY DROWNED A boy drowned in the Gandiali dam on the Rawalpindi road while swimming here on Wednesday.

The police and local people recovered the body of Siddique, 16, from the dam after hectic efforts. He was buried in his ancestral graveyard.