Seven killed in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Seven people, including four security personnel, were killed in two separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday night and Wednesday, officials said.

In the first incident, three security personnel and a driver died when unknown assailants attacked a Federal Constabulary (FC) vehicle in the Garagri area of Karak district on Wednesday, local police reported.

The security personnel killed were identified as Lance Naik Mehmood Shah, sepoy Shahid, and sepoy Rauf, along with their driver, Shahpur.

Karak District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi said the FC personnel were targeted while carrying out routine patrolling duties.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and blamed it on Indian-sponsored terrorists, according to state media.

“Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack by Indian-sponsored terrorists on a vehicle carrying FC personnel in Karak,” state-owned Pakistan Television News reported. Naqvi extended condolences to the families of the deceased, adding that their sacrifices “further strengthen our resolve in the fight against terrorism.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also condemned the attack and directed authorities to arrest those responsible. “We salute the security personnel and their families who sacrificed their lives for the country and the nation,” a statement from the chief minister’s press secretary said.

In a separate incident on Tuesday night, three people, including police inspector Ali Hussain, were killed in a gun attack on Peshawar’s Warsak Road.

Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Masood Ahmed said Hussain was travelling in a car with two friends when four assailants on two motorbikes opened fire, killing all three. “A pistol and submachine gun were used in the attack,” he added, noting that investigations, including geofencing, were underway.

Governor Faisal Kundi condemned the Peshawar attack, calling it “unfortunate and inhumane,” and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

Pakistan has seen a rise in terror activities over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of failing to act against TTP and other militant groups operating from its soil, while also alleging that India arms and trains insurgents to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

The attacks follow a similar incident last month in Karak, where a police official was killed while deployed at a post in the Koh-i-Maidan area, near the borders of Lakki Marwat and Mianwali districts. The assailants fled into the mountains after that attack.