Three Policemen
In a tragic incident near Lachi Toll Plaza on the Kohat Indus Highway, at least four people, including three police personnel, fell victim to a terrorist attack, on Wednesday. Initial reports indicated that over 10 terrorists targeted the Lachi Toll Plaza and a security checkpost, resulting in the death of three policemen and another individual.
Responding swiftly, heavy contingents of the police and the Pakistan Army cordoned off the entire area and initiated a search operation to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the attack. The terrorists were reportedly hiding in the nearby mountainous region, and authorities expressed confidence in their arrest during the ongoing search operation.
This incident follows a recent bombing earlier in the week, where a roadside bomb claimed the lives of at least five police officers assigned to protect polio vaccination workers in Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district.
The bordering districts of Pakistan, especially those adjacent to Afghanistan, have witnessed a significant increase in attacks since the return of the Taliban to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militant groups, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allowing them to carry out attacks on Pakistani soil with impunity.
According to statistics from the Department of Interior and Tribal Affairs KP, areas most affected by terrorism include Peshawar, Khyber, Bajaur, and Tank, while Dera Ismail Khan, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan are also identified as terror-affected regions. The documents further revealed a total of 1,050 terrorism incidents in KP last year, with 419 incidents in arranged districts and 631 incidents in the merged districts. The ongoing security challenges underscore the complex and evolving nature of the threat landscape in the region.
