At least five police personnel were killed on Tuesday when gunmen attacked a police mobile van in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district, according to authorities.
District Police Officer (DPO) Saud Khan confirmed all five officers in the vehicle died in the assault. The van was providing security for a private gas company; attackers fled after setting it ablaze.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, mourning the martyrs and offering condolences to their families. He praised police as frontline warriors against terrorism and vowed to eradicate it entirely.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called the incident “deeply regrettable and condemnable,” vowing justice for the perpetrators. “The provincial government stands with the police—such cowardice won’t break our resolve,” he added.
The attack follows a surge in terrorism in KP and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban’s 2021 takeover. Cross-border threats from Afghanistan sparked week-long clashes in October and prompted Islamabad’s recent demarche to Kabul over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) support.
On December 19, Pakistan summoned Afghanistan’s deputy head of mission after four soldiers died in North Waziristan. The Foreign Office accused the Taliban regime of enabling TTP attacks on Pakistani forces and civilians, reserving the right to defend sovereignty and counter Afghan-origin terrorism.
