- One police officer was martyred and three others were injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Mardan’s Katlang tehsil during the early hours of Tuesday.
- Mardan District Police Officer (DPO) Najeebur Rehman stated that a police team led by Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Aijaz Khan Sherpao was dispatched to the Mata Katlang area following reports of terrorist presence.
- Upon encountering the police team, the terrorists initiated gunfire and also hurled a grenade, resulting in the martyrdom of SP Sherpao.
- Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naseem Khan and two constables, Mansoor and Saleem, sustained injuries and were initially treated at Katlang Hospital before being shifted to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital.
- Two militants were killed during the exchange of fire.
- Additional police forces were deployed to the scene, and a search operation was initiated in the area.
- The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police paid tribute to the martyred SP on social media, also confirming the elimination of “terrorist commander Mohsin Qadir and his deputy Wasil.”
- Pakistan has experienced increased terrorist activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan, following the termination of a ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in November 2022.
- According to a security report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan saw a record six-year high in violence-related fatalities and injuries in 2023, with KP and Balochistan being the primary centres of violence.