According to the Pakistani police, around 15 to 20 Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP) terrorists opened fire at a police station in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Tuesday night. The attack came days after a mosque in Peshawar was suicide bombed, killing at least 100 people.
The Punjab police tweeted a video of security forces successfully thwarting the attack on the Mianwali police station. “The attacking terrorists were repulsed by the retaliatory fire of the policemen and were forced to flee,” the police said.
نعرہ تکبیر کی صدا بلند کرتے پنجاب پولیس کے بہادر جوانوں نے میانوالی کے تھانہ پر دہشت گردوں کا حملہ ناکام بنا دیا۔ حملہ آور دہشت گرد پولیس جوانوں کی جوابی فائرنگ سے پسپا ہوکر بھاگنے پر مجبور ہوگئے۔@DPOMianwali #PunjabPolice #Mianwali #Gallantry pic.twitter.com/LLXLgz5pHR
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) February 1, 2023
As per Geo TV, some terrorists sustained injuries but managed to flee, and security forces, who repelled the militants, were not wounded. Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif hailed the Punjab police for thwarting the terrorists’ “nefarious designs.” He also promised awards to the policemen involved.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar told Dawn news on Wednesday that the TTP claimed responsibility for the attack and security forces are considering launching a “massive search [operation] in Mianwali district to trace the terrorists’ hideouts.”
Pakistan has been struggling to maintain law and order for several months now, particularly after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and other regions bordering Afghanistan have been specifically targeted.
On 22 January, a police vehicle was attacked in Peshawar’s Badaber area, just a day after a security official was killed and two others injured by an unidentified attacker.
A similar attack in Peshawar last March resulted in 64 deaths. At the time, ISIS’ Khorasan Province branch claimed responsibility for the attack.