Two police officers and security guard martyred in double Bannu shooting

WEB DESK: At least three security personnel have been martyred in two separate targeted attacks in Bannu on Monday, as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province continues to grapple with a sharp rise in militant violence.

The first assault took place outside the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in the Baka Khel area. Armed gunmen opened fire on the facility’s security detail, killing Police Constable Rafiullah and security guard Gul Shah Noor on the spot, according to the Express Tribune.

Although a heavy police contingent reached the scene shortly after the gunfire, the attackers successfully fled the area. The bodies of the deceased were moved to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examinations.

Targeted killings in the line of duty

In a second, separate incident near the Miryan Kinger police station, another officer, Constable Sher Muhammad, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. The twin attacks have prompted local authorities to launch a district-wide manhunt and establish several security checkpoints to intercept those responsible.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to the fallen men, stating that they had attained the “great status of martyrdom” and had set a “high example of bravery” by sacrificing their lives in the line of duty. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the violence, expressing his condolences to the bereaved families.

Province-wide surge in militant activity

The latest killings follow a wave of devastating attacks across the region. Only last Friday, a suicide car bomb carrying over 1,000kg of explosives targeted the Domel Police Station.

While police successfully prevented the vehicle from breaching the station walls, the subsequent blast in a nearby civilian area claimed the lives of five people, including women and a child.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains the epicentre of the current security crisis in Pakistan. Official data shows the province accounted for 3,811 of the 5,397 terrorist incidents reported nationwide last year. Officials frequently attribute the surge to militants operating from across the Afghan border following the US withdrawal from the neighbouring country.

Recent weeks have seen a string of IED blasts and targeted ambushes in Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan, further straining the resources of the provincial police force.