Attackers armed with guns and rocket launchers kill at least 11 police officers in Pakistan ambush

22 August 2024, 21:08

At least 11 police officers have been killed following an ambush by armed bandits in eastern Pakistan.

The bandits, armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades, assaulted the officers as they passed through the Rahim Yar Khan district of eastern Punjab, a police statement said.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years, but such a high number of police casualties in a single attack is rare.

Pakistani security forces often carry out operations against bandits in the eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, where they hide in rural, forested areas.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denounced the attack in a statement, expressing his deep sorrow and describing the slain officers as martyrs.

This comes after a Pakistani web developer who helped spread false information that contributed to a wave of far-right riots across the UK was arrested in the city of Lahore.

Farhan Asif is accused of spreading a false name in connection with the murder of three young girls in Southport last month via sensationalist aggregation website Channel3Now.

These false reports claimed “a 17-year-old asylum-seeker” named Ali al-Shakati was in custody after the attack, allowing the far-right to pin the horrific stabbings on Muslims and immigrants.

The report, which spread quickly via social media platform X, claimed the attacker was “known to MI6”, further inflaming tensions in the wake of the tragic incident.

Last week, reporters from ITV confronted Asif, but he denied playing any role in the violence across the UK.

He said: “I don’t know how such a small article or a minor Twitter account could cause widespread confusion.

“Channel3Now mentioned that [the suspect was] a Muslim and an immigrant, but this has no connection to the chaos, which is being caused by people in his own country. If there was misinformation, it could have been addressed calmly. Why was there such an uproar?”

Channel3Now has been shut down since ITV’s report.

On Tuesday, police confirmed Asif had been detained and handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency.

“He was running a news website. Interrogation is underway,” an official told the Telegraph.

“He likely will be charged under the cyber terrorism section of Prevention of Electronic Crime(s) Act and will be produced before the relevant court after the interrogation is completed.”