Pakistan: Six police officers killed in bomb attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Roadside bomb kills six Pakistan police (Representative image)

A roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border on Monday, killing six officers and highlighting a renewed surge in militant violence, police said.

The explosion occurred in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Pervez Shah. Those killed included a local police chief, Ishaq Ahmad, who was carrying out a routine patrol when the attack took place. Shah declined to give further details, saying an investigation was ongoing.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the bombing and paid tribute to the fallen officers. In a statement, he extended condolences to the victims’ families, saying the officers had “sacrificed their lives for the nation’s peace and that their sacrifices would not be forgotten.”

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion is expected to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has stepped up assaults on security personnel and civilians in recent months.

The TTP is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan has accused Kabul of allowing the group to use Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Afghan government denies.

Relations between the two neighbors have remained strained. Tensions escalated in October after Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out a drone strike in the Afghan capital. Subsequent cross-border clashes killed dozens before Qatar brokered a ceasefire on Oct. 19.

The truce remains in place, though recent talks between the sides in Istanbul ended without progress.

(With AP inputs)