Peshawar (Web Desk): At least five policemen were martyred and several others were injured after a wave of coordinated attacks by unidentified militants struck multiple areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
According to police, the terrorists targeted law enforcement in Upper Dir, Lower Dir, and Peshawar, occurring almost simultaneously, according to police sources.
In Upper Dir, gunmen ambushed a police mobile unit, killing three officers on the spot and injuring three more.
Meanwhile, in Peshawar’s Hassan Khel area, militants attempted to storm a police station and two nearby checkposts. Security forces managed to push back the assailants, but the exchange resulted in the martyrdom of one policeman and left another injured.
In Lower Dir’s Lajbok area, a constable was maryted during an attack on a security checkpoint, marking yet another loss in the string of violent incidents that night.
These developments come in the wake of a recent decision by authorities to initiate operations against militant elements in the Bajaur and Khyber districts. The move followed the breakdown of peace talks between local tribal elders, representing the Bajaur Amn Jirga, and militant groups.
During negotiations, the elders had reportedly demanded the removal of terrorists from the area, but the talks failed to yield results.
Officials estimate the presence of around 300 armed militants in two areas of Tehsil Mamund in Bajaur, with more than 350 operating in parts of Khyber district.