LAKKI MARWAT: At least six police officers lost their lives and another was injured after an explosion struck near a police vehicle in the Bettani tribal subdivision of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Friday, according to a police spokesperson.
Officials reported that the blast occurred close to a police mobile unit. The explosion killed six officers on the spot while one policeman sustained injuries.
Security forces quickly dispatched additional police personnel to the area to secure the scene and begin response operations, the spokesperson added.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack, paying tribute to the fallen officers and offering condolences to their families.
Pakistan has been facing an increase in cross-border militant activity, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan. The surge in violence has intensified since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
In response to the growing security threats, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, under which security forces carried out strikes along the border and inside Afghanistan. Authorities claim that around 641 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed during the operation.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that more than 855 fighters were also injured, while 243 militant checkposts were destroyed and 42 were captured. Additionally, 219 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems were reportedly neutralized.
Earlier, Pakistani forces had also targeted seven militant hideouts and training camps belonging to Fitna al Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates, and Daesh-Khorasan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border following recent suicide attacks.
Security sources said the airstrikes took place in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, killing over 80 militants.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated in October 2025 when Taliban fighters and allied militants allegedly launched attacks on Pakistani border posts, leading to heavy clashes. More than 200 militants were killed in the fighting, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred.
Despite several rounds of diplomatic discussions, both sides have been unable to reach a lasting agreement, largely due to Pakistan’s concerns that the Afghan Taliban government has not taken sufficient action against militant groups operating along the border.
