Assailants open fire on police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district amid surge in militant violence.
Three traffic police officers have been killed in a gun attack on their vehicle in Pakistan’s northwestern Tank district, police said, as violence continues to escalate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a traffic police mobile van in the Wazirabad area of Tank on Monday, killing three officers and injuring others, including civilians. District Police Officer Abdul Samad Khan confirmed the deaths, stating that the officers were on routine duty when the attackers struck.
Three Traffic Police Officers Killed in Tank Attack:
The slain personnel were identified in various reports as constables including Gul Amin (or Gul Zameen), Saleem Shah (or Saleemullah), and a driver named Fayyaz or Pir Fayyaz/Pir Khalid. Assistant Sub-Inspector Ismatullah was among those injured and was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. Two passers-by were also wounded in the shooting.
The attackers fled the scene after the assault, taking the traffic police vehicle with them. The vehicle was later recovered from the Gara Budha (or Garah Budha) area. Police immediately cordoned off roads and pedestrian routes and launched a search operation to track down the assailants.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, attributing it to militants, and expressed grief over the deaths. He offered condolences to the families of the officers and said the nation saluted their sacrifice. “The government stands with the bereaved families,” Naqvi said, adding that the sacrifices of those killed in the fight against terrorism would not go in vain.
Militant Attacks Surge Across KPK:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed sorrow and sought a report from senior authorities.
The incident forms part of a broader surge in militant attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan that has seen multiple deadly assaults this month. Recent violence includes a gun-and-bomb attack on a police compound in Kohat on September 18 that killed more than 20 people, mostly police officers, and an assault near a checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan that claimed at least 12 lives.
Security officials and analysts have linked the rising violence to groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant factions operating in the region. Police described the Tank attackers in some accounts as members of Fitna al-Khawarij, a term sometimes used for certain militant elements.
Tank and neighbouring southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have experienced repeated targeted attacks on security personnel and law enforcement, placing significant pressure on local police forces. Authorities continue search and combing operations in the area as investigations into the latest attack proceed.