Mazaj News (Web Desk) At least six police personnel were martyred on Monday after an improvised explosive device (IED) struck their armoured vehicle on Gomal Bazaar Road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district.
Police said the explosion completely destroyed the vehicle, which was returning from Gomal Police Station. Among those martyred was Additional Station House Officer (SHO) Ishaq Khan. Following the attack, law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene, sealed off the area and launched an investigation.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the police personnel. In separate statements, they offered prayers for the departed souls and extended condolences to the grieving families.
The deadly incident comes just a week after four police officers were martyred in two separate shooting attacks by unidentified assailants in the Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Lakki Marwat, unknown attackers riding motorcycles opened fire on traffic police officers in Sarai Naurang, killing three personnel, according to a police spokesperson.
In a separate incident in Bannu, a police constable was martyred when unidentified individuals fired upon him in the Mandan area. Police said Constable Rashid Khan was attacked while travelling from his home to report for duty at Mandan Police Station.
A day earlier, KP police thwarted a major terrorist plot by killing eight militants during joint operations carried out by the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) across the province on Sunday.
These operations were conducted in the tribal districts of Bannu and Khyber, as well as in Zahir Garhi, a suburban area of Peshawar. Police said the militants killed were involved in multiple attacks on security forces, and a large quantity of weapons and equipment was recovered during the operations.
According to the Central Police Office (CPO), two terrorists were eliminated in an operation conducted by local police and the CTD in the Bannu region. The CPO said the militants were responsible for attacks on the Sheikh Lindak and Fatah Khel police posts and were also linked to assaults on security forces and an attack on an under-construction rescue building in the city. Weapons and mobile phones were recovered from their possession.
Meanwhile, CTD Khyber killed three terrorists during an operation near Shah Kas Bypass Road, successfully foiling a major terrorist plan, the CPO said.
In another operation in Zahir Garhi on the outskirts of Peshawar, CTD personnel neutralised three more terrorists.
KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed praised the police and CTD teams for their courage and successful actions, saying intelligence-based and targeted operations would continue to ensure peace and stability.
Terrorist violence has increased significantly in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since 2021, following the return of the Afghan Taliban to power.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on November 25, 2025, that 67,023 intelligence-based operations had been carried out across the country during the year, mainly in KP and Balochistan.
He added that 1,873 terrorists — including 136 Afghan nationals — were killed in 12,857 operations in KP and 53,309 in Balochistan during 2025 up to November.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul to ensure its territory is not used for attacks against Pakistan. The issue has recently led to heightened tensions, including cross-border incidents initiated from the Afghan side and subsequent retaliatory actions by Pakistani forces.