By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Two men, including an army official, were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the Sultankhel-Sikandarkhel area of Landikotal tehsil in Khyber district on Friday, according to local sources and police.
The deceased were identified as Shah Fahad, son of Muhammad Ayaz and Mahboob-ur-Rehman, alias Badda, both residents of Sikandarkhel.
Family sources said Shah Fahad was serving in the Pakistan Army and had returned home on Eid holidays.
According to local police, the two men were on their way home from a local cricket ground when armed attackers, who had allegedly been lying in wait along the route, opened indiscriminate fire on them. Both victims died on the spot.
Soon after the attack, security forces and police personnel reached the scene, cordoned off the area, and launched a search operation to trace the assailants.
Residents said the latest killings have further heightened fear and uncertainty in the area. A resident of Sultankhel village, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was not the first of its kind.
He claimed that it was the seventh terrorism-related incident in the area during the past two years happened in the same locality. He said several people, including journalist Khalil Jibran, police personnel, and other civilians, have been killed in broad daylight in separate terrorist attacks over the past period.
Police said investigations into the latest incident were underway, while efforts were continuing to identify and apprehend those responsible for the killings.
