CTD officer martyred in Peshawar terrorist firefight

A Counter-Terrorism Department officer was martyred and several others were injured on Thursday when suspected terrorists opened fire on a police raiding party in the Garhi Sherdad area near Warsak Road, on the outskirts of Peshawar.

The casualty figure differed in early accounts. Dawn reported that three police personnel were injured alongside the martyred officer, while Minute Mirror put the number of injured at two. A senior CTD official told both outlets that the department had received intelligence about the presence of terrorists in Garhi Sherdad and sent a team to the area for an operation.

Dawn quoted the official as saying the terrorists opened fire as soon as the CTD team reached the location. Police personnel returned fire, and Minute Mirror reported that one terrorist was killed during the exchange. The same outlet said the firing was still continuing later in the afternoon.

Other law enforcement agencies reached the site to assist the CTD team, and security personnel cordoned off the area, according to Minute Mirror.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack and offered condolences to the family of the martyred officer, Minute Mirror reported. He also prayed for the early and complete recovery of the injured personnel.

The clash follows a series of recent CTD operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier this month, five terrorists were killed in an operation in the Shamshatoo area on the boundary between Peshawar and Nowshera. Police identified one of those killed as Imran, described as a key commander of the banned Islamic State Khorasan Province. He was wanted in connection with about 20 cases involving bomb attacks, targeted killings and other terrorist activity in Islamabad and other parts of the country, according to Minute Mirror.

In another recent operation in Peshawar's Badhber area, four terrorists, including a militant commander and an Afghan national, were killed in an encounter with CTD personnel, Minute Mirror added.

The latest incident comes amid increased militant activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police and security forces have intensified operations against suspected militants following a series of attacks targeting law enforcement personnel.