PESHAWAR – At least five policemen were martyred and five others injured in multiple terrorist attacks in KP late Wednesday night. The assaults occurred almost at the same time in different districts of the province.
According to police officials, unidentified militants targeted law enforcement personnel in Upper Dir, Lower Dir, and Peshawar. In Upper Dir, gunmen opened fire on a police mobile van, killing three officers and injuring three more.
Near Peshawar, militants attempted to storm the Hassan Khel Police Station and two nearby checkposts. Police fought back and managed to repel the assault. However, one officer embraced martyrdom and another sustained injuries in the attack on the station.
In Lower Dir’s Lajbok area, a constable lost his life during an attack on a security checkpost. The incidents highlight the growing threat of militancy and the challenges faced by security forces in the region.
Earlier this week, government sources revealed that authorities had decided to launch operations against militants in Bajaur and Khyber districts. The move followed the collapse of talks between the Bajaur Amn Jirga and the terrorists.
Officials said tribal elders had put forward three key demands in the negotiations. The most important was the removal of all militants from the tribal belt. The talks failed when the terrorists refused to comply.
According to security officials, around 300 armed militants are currently present in two areas of Tehsil Mamund in Bajaur. More than 350 fighters are believed to be hiding in Khyber district.
The escalation comes amid a nationwide rise in militant activity since 2021, with terrorist attacks in KP and Balochistan seeing a sharp increase. A recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, recorded 78 terror incidents in June alone. These attacks claimed at least 100 lives across the country.
The continuing wave of terrorist attacks in KP underscores the urgent need for coordinated security operations and stronger intelligence measures to curb the violence.
