At least five police personnel lost their lives in Karak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police mobile unit. The attackers then fled the scene after the assault, setting the vehicle ablaze. This incident is part of a series of targeted attacks on police officers in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In a separate attack on December 8 in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, assailants targeted the Ahmadzai police station with sniper fire, resulting in an officer being injured. Three police officers, including an assistant sub-inspector, were killed in a blast on December 3 in the Dera Ismail Khan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The attack utilized an improvised explosive device, leading to the deaths of ASI Gul Alam, Constable Rafiq, and the van driver, Sakhi Jan.
According to a recent security report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) based in Islamabad, Pakistan has experienced a significant increase of over 46% in overall violence in the security landscape during the third quarter of 2025. The report highlighted that Pakistan witnessed 901 fatalities and 599 injuries from 329 violent incidents, including terrorist activities and counter-terror operations.
The CRSS report further disclosed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the most affected provinces, accounting for over 96% of the country’s violence in the quarter. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered the highest number of violence-related fatalities, with nearly 71% of the total, followed by Balochistan. Security operations were responsible for more than half of the total fatalities in 2025, indicating an intensified response from the state against militants.
