The North Waziristan assistant commissioner and three others were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle on Miranshah Road in Bannu on Tuesday.

According to officials, Assistant Commissioner Shah Waliullah was passing through Miranshah Road when gunmen targeted his vehicle. Two police constables and a passer-by were also killed in the attack.

The Assistant Commissioner of Bannu said that a total of four people were martyred, including two police personnel, while two policemen and a driver sustained injuries.

The attackers also snatched weapons from the wounded officers before setting the vehicle on fire.

Initial police reports had stated that three people — two policemen and a passer-by — were killed.

They were identified as Sher Rehman, Syed Rehman and a pedestrian, Uzir Rehman.

However, later updates confirmed that Assistant Commissioner Shah Waliullah also succumbed to his injuries.

Sources said the attackers fled after torching the vehicle. Police have launched an investigation and a search operation in the area.

Official claims rocket attack

Meanwhile, speaking to the media about the attack, Muhammad Saqib, Secretary to the Bannu Commissioner, claimed that Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali was killed after his vehicle came under a suspected rocket attack.

Saqib said the attack took place at around 10am as Shah Wali was on his way to appear before a court in Miranshah.

He was accompanied by a driver and four gunmen.

Saqib said the convoy was ambushed in the Masoomabad area, resulting in the martyrdom of the officer, two gunmen and the driver.

A man working in nearby fields was also killed in the attack.

Citing eyewitness accounts, he said a rocket had struck the vehicle, causing it to catch fire.

“The actual facts will emerge only after the police release their final report,” he added.

He added that according to the latest information, Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali’s burnt body had been shifted to DHQ Hospital Bannu.

A conclusive statement could only be made after the post-mortem report, he said.

KP CM seeks report

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief on the terror attack in Bannu that claimed the life of North Waziristan Assistant Commissioner Shah Waliullah, along with two police officials.

In a statement issued from Peshawar, Afridi strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief over the martyrdom of the assistant commissioner and the police personnel.

He said the assault was a “highly tragic incident”, adding that anti-state elements could not weaken the nation’s resolve through such cowardly acts.

He reaffirmed that the fight against terrorism would continue with greater determination, stressing that the sacrifices of the martyrs would not go in vain.

The chief minister also directed authorities to ensure immediate and the best possible medical treatment for the injured.

Afridi vowed that those involved in the attack would be brought to justice and held accountable.

Information assistant condemns incident

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Shafi Jan condemned the targeting of Assistant Commissioner of Bannu and three others.

He said that the attack was distressing, which was the result of a cowardly intent.

President, PM condemn Bannu attack

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, on Tuesday, expressed their deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of four persons, including an Assistant Commissioner of North Waziristan, in a terrorist attack in District Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The president and the prime minister expressed their deep sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

The president, while strongly condemning the terrorist attack, said that with complete national consensus, operations to eliminate all terrorists, backed by foreign elements, were continuing

He further prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured police personnel and directed the relevant authorities to ensure immediate arrest of the attackers, President’s Secretariat Media Wing said in a press release.

The prime minister directed for a probe into the incident and brought the culprits to book, besides instructing immediate treatment to the injured, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

He resolved to foil the nefarious designs of terrorists, the enemies of humanity, and reiterated that the government was determined to completely eradicate the scourge of terrorism from the country.