Pakistan News: In a deadly attack on men in uniform in Pakistan, as many as 11 policemen were killed Thursday when gunmen allegedly carrying rocket-propelled grenades ambushed a police convoy. The attack took place in the 'kacha' area of Machka in Punjab province's Rahim Yar Khan, and it also left nine personnel injured, with one of them succumbing to the injuries on Friday, media reports said.
Quoting the Punjab police, Dawn reported that two police vans carrying 22 personnel were returning from a police camp in Rahim Yar Khan when one of them broke down on the muddy road as it had rained recently. The convoy came under rocket attacks all of a sudden right after this. In a retaliatory attack, the police have gunned down the main culprit.
Machka is a riverine area along the Indus and is known for hideouts of robbers.
While Pakistan has seen an increase in such attacks in recent years, such a high number of police casualties in a single strike were not reported before.
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Pakistan's 'Historic Operation' To Hunt Down Killers
Soon after the attack on Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had said it would not go “unavenged”. "My team under the supervision of Home Secretary, IG and CTD has been dispatched with clear directions to sort them out decisively," she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the attack in strong words as he extended his condolences to the bereaved families, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered “immediate and effective action” against the culprits.
Quoting Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar, the Dawn report cited above said both Punjab and Sindh police launched a "historic operation" in the area, deploying 320 Punjab police personnel from on the ground, besides those from Sindh police.
In retaliation to Thursday's attack, the main suspect was gunned down, the police posted on X, adding that five of his accomplices were injured.
"Punjab police retaliated in response to the attack by terrorists in the kutcha areas. The main suspect who attacked policemen yesterday, Bashir Shar, has reached his logical end,” read the X post, originally in Urdu.
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Gangs Active For Decades
According to reports, organised criminal gangs have been active in these border areas for decades, and they often resort to "kidnap-for-ransom assaults".
An operation had been launched by the military in Sindh against these criminal gangs in the early 1990s, but successive governments did not manage to maintain law and order, paving the way for these gangs to resurface, the report said.
While security forces continue to carry out operations against bandits, the latter hide in the forested rural areas and manage to evade arrest.
Three policemen were killed earlier this month when riverine dacoits attacked a check-post near Bhong. One policeman lost his life in the Machka area during an operation last month when four dacoits were killed.