ALBAWABA- Seven Pakistani police officers were killed on Monday when a remote-controlled bomb struck their armored vehicle during a routine patrol in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, marking a deadly escalation in militant violence in the country’s northwest.
The explosion occurred near the Kot Wali Canal along the Gomal–Jutta Road, overturning and severely damaging the vehicle. Five officers were killed instantly, while two later died from their injuries in the hospital.
Among the dead were local police chief Inspector Ishaq Ahmad, a sub-inspector, the driver, and three members of an elite police unit, officials said. No civilian casualties were reported.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as part of its ongoing campaign against Pakistani security forces. The incident underscores the heightened vulnerability of law enforcement personnel operating in remote border regions.
The attack comes amid a broader resurgence of militancy in Pakistan’s northwest, particularly since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of allowing TTP fighters to operate from safe havens across the border, an allegation Kabul denies.
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the epicenter of the violence, with militants exploiting porous borders to launch ambushes, bombings, and targeted killings aimed at undermining state authority.
Formed in 2007 as an umbrella group of militant factions, the TTP seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state and impose a hardline Islamist system. Despite large-scale military operations, including the ongoing Azm-e-Istehkam campaign, attacks have continued, highlighting the limits of counterterrorism efforts amid strained cross-border relations.
Militant violence has surged sharply in recent years. In 2025 alone, the TTP claimed responsibility for more than 1,000 attacks, up from 881 in 2023. High-profile incidents have included a July 2024 suicide bombing in Bannu that killed nine soldiers, a March 2025 assault on a military base in the same district, and a roadside bombing in Bajaur earlier this month that killed seven police officers guarding a polio vaccination team.
