Violence erupted along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Dera Ismail Khan as heavily armed assailants raided a police station and customs office on Wednesday, claiming two lives and injuring two others. The Yarik police outpost and adjacent customs post, vital guardians of the CPEC route in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bore the brunt of the coordinated assault.
Police spokespersons detailed how the gunmen, equipped with automatic weapons, initiated the attack with relentless firing. Tragically, Customs officer Israr Khan and Constable Mohammad Bilal lost their lives. The injured duo—Hazrat Umar and Khayal Mohammad—were evacuated to the district trauma center amid heightened alert.
Panic gripped the area as bullets riddled passenger buses on the CPEC highway, and attackers ignited a customs truck. Security personnel mounted a fierce counterattack, dispersing the militants who escaped under cover of fire. A large contingent of police and paramilitary forces sealed the site, launching door-to-door searches and checkpoints.
The attack revives concerns over CPEC’s security, especially after recent incidents: a deadly ambush killing four cops including an SHO in Wanda Budh, and a January suicide bombing at a wedding that killed five. In a counterblow, the Counter Terrorism Department revealed it gunned down eight militants that day, seizing explosives despite injuries to three officers. With probes underway, experts warn that such strikes could derail billions in investments, urging bolstered defenses along this geopolitical artery.