A policeman was martyred on Monday in Barang tehsil, when unidentified assailants opened fire on a routine patrol in the hilly Asil Targao area. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Saidur Rahman told reporters that Constable Irshad Khan was killed on the spot. The assailants fled, and no one immediately claimed responsibility.
Officials and residents said the shooting happened in Barang. The district police say an investigation is under way to identify who fired and to establish how the attack took place.
What happened on the patrol
DSP Saidur Rahman said the shooting took place in Asil Targao, a hilly part of Barang tehsil. A team from Barang police station, led by its station house officer (SHO) Bakht Zaman, was out on a routine patrol. An SHO is the officer in charge of a police station. The DSP said the unidentified assailants “targeted constable Irshad Khan, killing him on the spot.”
He added that the gunmen got away. Police have not said how many officers were with Bakht Zaman, whether anyone else was hurt, or what weapons were used. In everyday language, a routine patrol is a regular round of the area, which is the duty the DSP said the team was performing when the firing began.
Investigation and the funeral
Mansoor Khan, spokesperson for the district police, said investigators were trying to piece together the shooting and to identify who took part. After the formalities at the hospital, he said, the constable’s body was sent to his home village for burial. That village has not been named.
No one immediately claimed responsibility. With no claim made public and the inquiry still open, police have not given a motive. Any account that names a group, or that goes further than the officers’ statements, is unconfirmed.
On the police account, the shooting killed one constable and ended with the assailants having fled. Officials and residents said the policeman was martyred in Barang tehsil. The spokesperson has added only that the body was sent home and that the inquiry continues.
The confirmed points are: the place, Asil Targao in Barang; the names of Constable Irshad Khan and of SHO Bakht Zaman, who led the patrol; the escape of the attackers; and an investigation with no announced arrest.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Bajaur ke Barang tehsil ke pahaari ilaqe Asil Targao mein police constable Irshad Khan shaheed ho gaye. Woh SHO Bakht Zaman ki team ke sath mamooli gasht par thay jab na-maloom afraad ne unhein nishana bana kar mauqeh par hi maar diya. Hamla karne wale bhaag gaye aur kisi ne foran zimmedari nahi li. Police tehkikat kar rahi hai, aur laash hospital ke rasmi kaam ke baad un ke gaon dafn ke liye bhej di gayi hai.
