At least six police personnel were martyred on Monday in two separate improvised explosive device (IED) attacks targeting police vehicles in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank and Lakki Marwat districts, underscoring the worsening security situation in the province.
In the first incident, an armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the Tank police was hit by an IED on Gomal Bazaar Road within the limits of Gomal police station. According to a police spokesperson, the APC was returning from Gomal police station when the blast occurred, destroying the vehicle. Among the martyred was Additional Station House Officer Ishaq Khan.
Rescue 1122 shifted the bodies to the Tank District Headquarters Hospital, while law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. An investigation into the attack was initiated soon after.
In a separate incident in Lakki Marwat, another police APC was targeted by an IED near Darra Tang Road in the jurisdiction of Saddar police station. Police said a station house officer and several personnel sustained injuries but were reported to be out of danger. The attack was attributed to Fitna al Khwarij, the term used by the state for militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Lakki Marwat District Police Officer Nazir Khan visited the site and ordered a search operation in the surrounding area. He said such attacks could not weaken police morale and reaffirmed the force’s resolve to protect the public.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attacks and expressed grief over the loss of police lives. The prime minister ordered an immediate probe and directed authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also paid tribute to the martyred officers and called for decisive action against terrorism.
The attacks come amid a surge in violence against law enforcement agencies in KP, particularly in southern districts, highlighting persistent security challenges despite ongoing counterterrorism operations.