According to War Monitor, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Superintendent of Police Imranuddin and Station House Officer Afzal Awan were killed on Thursday in an exchange of fire with suspected militants in Banda Daud Shah tehsil of Karak district. Local sources say two suspected militants were also killed.
From injuries to deaths
Earlier in the day, War Monitor reported that three police personnel, including an SHO, had been injured in a gunfight with unidentified armed men in the Charbre area and taken to hospital. Within hours, later reports said DSP Imranuddin and SHO Afzal Awan had died.
Photographs of the two officers are circulating on social media, though War Monitor notes the images do not by themselves establish their deaths. The identities of the suspected militants killed are not known.
TTP claims a third police death
According to War Monitor, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan said in a statement on Thursday that it carried out the attack in the Charpara Bahadur Khel area. The group claimed DSP Imranuddin, SHO Afzal Awan and constable Kazim were killed, and that its fighters took the officer's weapon.
The statement also accused the DSP of involvement in staged encounters, an allegation that has not been independently substantiated, and threatened police personnel, urging them to stop taking part in operations against the group.
Awaiting confirmation
The total number of casualties and the circumstances of the attack have not yet been officially or independently confirmed. The incident adds to a run of reported attacks on police and security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Latest: TTP announces cash reward
On Thursday evening, War Monitor reported that the banned TTP announced a Rs 200,000 reward for members it says took part in the killing of DSP Imranuddin. According to a statement attributed to the group, its chief Mufti Abu Mansoor Asim authorised the payment.
The announcement follows the group's earlier claim of responsibility for the attack in the Banda Daud Shah area. Neither the reward announcement nor the circumstances of the attack have been independently verified.