At least seven people, including six policemen, were martyred on Tuesday after terrorists attacked a mobile van in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district.
According to police, the terrorists opened fire on the police van while it was traveling through a remote area, leading to the martyrdom of three cops, including a deputy superintendent. They said two passersby and six policemen were also injured in the assault.
The police said the death toll rose to seven after three of the injured cops and one of the civilians succumbed to their injuries. The remaining three injured cops and one civilian are still undergoing treatment. After the attack, per police, the terrorists set fire to the mobile van.
In a statement, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the terrorist attack and paid tribute to the martyred police, honoring their sacrifice and bravery in the line of duty. He also offered condolences and sympathy to the families of the martyrs, stressing the fallen policemen had attained the highest rank of martyrdom.
Pakistan has been in the midst of a terror resurgence, particularly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since August 2021, when the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul. A day earlier, three Federal Constabulary men were martyred when an ambulance carrying injured personnel came under attack in the Badrakhail area of Karak in KP.
Last week, Islamabad staged airstrikes within Afghan territory, targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, its affiliates and the Daesh-Khorasan group. In a statement, the government said the airstrikes were in retaliation to a recent spate of suicide bombings, adding more than 80 militants were slain in the offensive.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the interim Afghan government to take action against militants sheltering on its soil to no avail.