Once again, the TTP has claimed an attack that illustrates how the group has become more audacious as it targeted the Sarband police station at the outskirts of Peshawar. A senior police officer along with two two constables embraced martyrdom in a midnight militant attack, which officials believe is the first of its kind where modern gadgets were used to target police. While the five attackers managed to flee in the dark—as has been witnessed multiple times recently—two of them were later gunned down in the Sarband area following an intense exchange of fire.
As per CTD officials, one of the two militants killed in the operation had been involved in suicide attacks on Additional IG Police Ashraf Noor in 2017 and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour in 2018. Despite this minor consolation, the fact of the matter is that militants continue to escape encounters, and far too many law enforcers have laid down their lives in recent months as the attacks become more organised and lethal with time.
The uncomfortable reality is that the militants are delivering on their promise to target security personnel, and while earlier attacks were focused on the peripheries of the province, the terrorists now have the confidence to strike in the provincial capital itself. Another serious point of concern is that the militants used advanced equipment, including snipers and thermal weapon sights during the attack.
As a result, the police officers could not see and properly counter the attackers. The same gadgets had been used by militants in attacks in districts Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan in the past. While the provincial government has now released funds to purchase similar weapons, it is extremely worrying to see the reactive approach and how the officers did not have access to such equipment. This of course points to the longstanding issue of how the institution of police has been underfunded. It is crucial for the different organs of the state to close ranks and neutralise the terrorist threat through unity.
Unfortunately, the ongoing political tussle is impacting the fight against terrorism, and the enemy is well aware of how this situation can be exploited. The interior minister’s jibe at the KP chief minister following the attack, saying that he was too focused on dissolving the assembly, only illustrates the issue at hand. Both the opposition and the government must realise that their struggle for power is gravely affecting the counterterrorism effort, and that this is no time for political bickering. We need all hands on deck to deal with this threat, before the militants are emboldened further and gain the confidence to launch a wider campaign against the country
https://www.nation.com.pk/E-Paper/islamabad/2023-01-16/page-6/detail-1
