At least five police personnel sustained injuries in an explosion in Shahbazkhel town, Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The attack, carried out by ‘Fitna-al-Khawarij,’ targeted the Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan section of the Peshawar-Karachi Indus Highway. This term is used for terrorists associated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on a motorcycle parked on the road. The blast specifically aimed at a police patrol from Shahbazkhel police station, resulting in injuries to one Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and four constables. The police van they were patrolling in also sustained damage, and the injured personnel were promptly taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for medical attention.
Following the blast, a significant police presence was deployed to the town, cordoning off the area and initiating a search for the attackers. Recent months have seen a surge in attacks on police forces across various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat, and Bajaur. In a separate incident on Monday, two police personnel and a private security guard were killed in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, by unidentified assailants.
