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PESHAWAR: Superintendent of Police (SP), Rural, ' along with two cops and three soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary (FC), was killed in an attack on the Ghaziabad police post in Matani area in the wee hours of Monday. Eight cops and FC soldiers were also wounded in the attack carried out by over 200 militants late inthe night. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman, Mohammad, called reporters in Kohat and Peshawar to claim responsibility for the attack and said Khurshid Khan was their target for heading operations against them while more officers were also on their hit list. Those killed in the attack included SP Rural Khurshid Khan, his two gunmen Inayatur Rahman and Moeen Khan and three soldiers of Frontier Constabulary Hukam Khan, Mohammad Yar and Rasool Khan. Militants torched the Ghaziabad police post and three police vehicles before they escaped. An official said SP Khurshid entered the post when it was believed the militants had escaped after setting the building on fire. The militants were, however, hiding inside and first hurled a hand grenade at the police party and then opened fire. They beheaded Khurshid and an FC soldier before heading towards the tribal areas, a source said. Later, bodies of the three FC soldiers were also recovered from the torched post. The collective funeral prayers for those killed in the attack were offered at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines where Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, Inspector General of Police Akbar Khan Hoti, Commandant FC Abdul Majeed Marwat, a number of ministers and senior officials were present. The bodies of the slain cops were later transported to their respective hometowns for burial.Khurshid Khan is survived by a widow and three sons. Belonging to Tarnab village in Charsadda, he was recruited in the force as assistant sub-inspector in 1984. He headed many police stations of Peshawar during the last six years of service. Chief Minister Hoti paid tributes to the Peshawar Police and said that Peshawar was safe because of the sacrifices of the police. He said the government was committed to eliminating terrorism. “Policemen and officers are sacrificing their lives to secure Peshawar. The forces and administration in the tribal areas should increase efforts to ensure peace,” said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, adding that Khurshid rushed to the area after he was told about the attack. Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of top police officers chaired by provincial police chief Akbar Khan Hoti on Monday chalked out a fresh plan for action in the limits of Badaber and Matani Police Stations. Several high-ranking officials performing duty in the areas have been killed in the last two years. Khurshid Khan, a DSP, was made the SP Rural to supervise the police action in the area after no senior officer was willing to take over the office. He was posted in August.