Islamic State (IS) fighters and the Pakistani Taliban on Monday said they killed a police official in northwest Pakistan, the second attack here claimed by the IS in just over a month.
The killings follow an announcement by the military last month that it had stemmed IS’s attempts to expand in Pakistan, after arresting more than 300 people suspected of plotting attacks on government, diplomatic and civilian targets.
Akbar Ali, a member of the Special Branch, or police intelligence wing in Charsadda, about 20 km from the provincial capital of Peshawar, was shot and killed at a bus stop, said the district police chief, Sohail Khalid.
“Two unknown motorcycle riders opened fire on police sub inspector Akbar Ali, and he died on the spot,” Mr. Khalid addded. Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack in an online post by its news agency Amaq.
Taliban also claims itThe Pakistani Taliban also claimed responsibility for the killing, said the group’s spokesman Muhammad Khurasani.“We accept responsibility for killing the Special Branch sub inspector in Charsadda,” he said in a statement.
A similar attack on Sept. 18 saw three Pakistani military employees killed in an ambush in Peshawar for which both the IS and a Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility.
Authorities last week arrested two men accused of spreading IS propaganda in Peshawar, with police officials saying its members were still active in some parts of the provincial capital. — Reuters
