At least two policemen lost their lives, and 26 individuals, including 22 police personnel, sustained injuries in attacks carried out by armed assailants in Bannu and Lower Dir districts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In Bannu, six police officers and four others were injured when attackers targeted the Miryab police station with an explosives-laden vehicle, leading to a prolonged gun battle with security forces.
District Police Officer Captain (retd) Muhammad Furqan Bilal mentioned that the assailants attempted to ram the explosives-laden vehicle into the police station, causing an explosion before engaging in a fierce confrontation with security personnel. Subsequently, security measures were heightened in the area, and search operations were initiated to apprehend the attackers.
Prior to the assault, the assailants destroyed a damaged bridge on the route to the police station to impede the arrival of law enforcement and rescue teams. The banned group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting that a vehicle carrying a significant amount of explosives was used in the assault.
In a separate incident in Lower Dir, two police officers were killed, and 16 others were wounded during a gunfight at Haidaray Top. Law enforcement agencies were conducting a search operation in response to reports of armed assailants in the area when the attackers opened fire on the police, resulting in a prolonged exchange of gunfire.
These attacks come amidst a surge in violence targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, particularly in regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
