DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Ten cops were martyred while six were injured in a late-night attack on the Chodwan police station in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday, police said.

The attack comes three days before the general elections are scheduled to take place on February 8 (Thursday).

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Nasir Mehmood confirmed the casualties.

“More than 30 terrorists launched an attack from three directions. There was an exchange of fire for over two-and-a-half hours,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said.

Gandapur said the attackers briefly seized control of the police station during the assault in the early hours of Monday.

Malik Aneesul Hassan, the deputy superintendent of police in Draban, told Reuters that after entering the building, the militants “used hand grenades which caused more casualties to the police”.

Security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have risen as both provinces have witnessed multiple attacks over the past few days.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the security apparatus had reviewed the law and order situation last week, stating that polls would be held at their scheduled time.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar strongly condemned the terrorist attack and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.

He directed the concerned officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.

“The cowardly acts of terrorists will, as always, fail to undermine our resolve to maintain law and order,” he said. “The entire nation stands with the police and security forces and salutes the martyrs,” he said.

Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi also condemned the terrorist attack and expressed grief over the live lost. He also paid tribute to the officials who had laid down their lives to protect the nation.

“Terrorists are enemies of peace and stability of the country,” he said. The minister reaffirmed that acts of terrorism could not dampen the country’s spirits, adding that the nation stood side-by-side with the police and security forces.

Caretaker KP Chief Minister Justice (rtd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the attack and expressed his grief over the loss of lives.

In a statement, he conveyed his sympathies to the families of the martyrs and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.