Terrorists attacked two Punjab Police check posts near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border in Taunsa Sharif using a drone, in another attempt to target security positions in the sensitive border belt.
The attack targeted the police posts from the air, but all personnel deployed at the positions remained safe. The terrorists fled the area after carrying out the attack.
The incident has raised fresh security concerns along the KP-Punjab border, where security and law-enforcement personnel have repeatedly come under attack in recent months. The border belt has remained particularly sensitive because of the movement of terrorists and their attempts to exploit difficult terrain to target security positions.
Police and other security personnel launched precautionary measures in the surrounding area following the drone attack, while efforts were also made to trace the attackers and determine the route used by the drone.
The latest attack also brings renewed attention to the vulnerability of police posts along the KP-Punjab boundary. Terrorists have previously targeted joint security positions in the area, including a deadly suicide attack earlier this year.
On February 24, a suicide bomber targeted the Dajal Joint Check Post at the KP-Punjab boundary in Dera Ismail Khan, killing two police personnel and injuring four others.
The attacker was identified as Hayat Ullah, son of Abdul Sammi, and was described by initial reports as an Afghan national. He had travelled from Dera Ismail Khan toward the joint checkpoint and attempted to enter Punjab.
When security personnel intercepted him at the checkpoint, the bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body, killing two police officials and injuring another policeman and three civilians.
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police subsequently launched a coordinated search and clearance operation in the surrounding areas. During the follow-up action, security sources said two accomplices of the suicide bomber were eliminated, while several suspected facilitators were taken into custody.
The earlier suicide attack had underscored the persistent threat facing security personnel deployed along the KP-Punjab boundary. The latest drone attack indicates that terrorists continue to seek new methods of striking police positions in the same broader border region.
Further details about the type of drone used, the nature of the attack and possible casualties or damage were not immediately available. Security personnel are continuing search and surveillance operations in the area.
