PESHAWAR: Five Pakistani police personnel were killed on Tuesday (Dec 23) when their van was ambushed in a mixed bombing and taking pictures assault within the nation’s northwest, provincial police stated, as Pakistan grapples with a resurgence of militant violence.
The Pakistani Taliban, generally known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), later claimed accountability for the assault. The Islamist group has waged an insurgency in opposition to the Pakistani state for almost 20 years.
Police stated the automobile was first struck by an improvised explosive machine earlier than assailants opened fireplace, killing 4 officers and the driving force. Safety forces later killed eight militants concerned within the assault, authorities added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, saying police had “all the time performed a frontline function within the battle in opposition to terrorism”.
The ambush passed off in Karak district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an space that has been comparatively spared main militant assaults in contrast with different elements of the province.
The incident comes amid deteriorating relations between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan following a surge in violence. Islamabad has accused militants of utilizing Afghan territory to plan assaults, a cost Kabul denies, saying Pakistan’s safety challenges are an inside matter.
