Five police personnel injured in IED attack on patrol in Lakki Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT: At least five police personnel were injured on Tuesday when a police mobile was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol in the Shahbazkhel police station area of Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

District Police Officer (DPO) Lakki Marwat Nazir Khan said the vehicle was targeted with a motorcycle-borne IED. He said, "The police vehicle was targeted with a motorcycle-borne IED, resulting in injuries to five officers, including an assistant sub-inspector Jamaluddin, constable Arif and driver Mir Hassan".

According to the DPO, the injured personnel were shifted to a nearby hospital, where they were receiving treatment.

After being informed of the blast, Nazir Khan reached the site along with a heavy police contingent as well as teams from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS). He reviewed the situation and directed officials to examine all aspects of the incident.

The DPO also ordered that those responsible be arrested as soon as possible and brought to justice. Police said security in the area had been tightened further, while a large-scale search operation was under way.

Recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The report comes amid continued militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The province has faced terrorism since the United States' ouster from Afghanistan, with militants often crossing the border and targeting police convoys and vehicles, leading to the deaths of officials and personnel.

Last month, at least seven police personnel, including the station house officer of Shadi Khel Police Station, were martyred in an IED explosion near a police mobile in Lakki Marwat.

A week before that incident, two policemen were killed and 15 people, including five police personnel, were injured in an IED blast in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana in Lower South Waziristan.

Security situation in the province

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest number of militant incidents in the country last year, according to figures cited in the report. Out of 5,397 reported incidents nationwide, 3,811 were recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by 1,557 in Balochistan. The rest of the country accounted for 29 incidents.

The report added that 2,597 terrorists were killed during the year.