3 civilians, 8 security personnel among 15 killed in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL

At least eight security personnel and three civilians were among the 15 killed in suspected militant attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Militants targeted a vehicle carrying paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel in the Karak district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Three soldiers and their driver were killed in that attack, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.

Separately, in the Peshawar district of the province, attackers struck a vehicle late Tuesday, killing three people, including police inspector Ali Hussain.

In a third attack, a Frontier Corps staff member, named Attaullah, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while on leave in Lakki Marwat.

Violence has surged recently in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts bordering Afghanistan, including the tribal districts of North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Khyber and Bajaur.

Three soldiers were killed in Mastung district in Balochistan province in a fourth attack, when suspected militants targeted a security forces’ vehicle Wednesday with an improvised explosive device, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

Four militants were killed during subsequent operations, it added.

According to the Islamabad-based think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, 82 militant attacks and dozens of security operations took place across the country in July, resulting in 215 fatalities, including 37 security personnel, 124 militants and 54 civilians. Additionally, 199 people were injured, including 107 civilians, 56 security personnel and 35 militants.

Islamabad continues to accuse Kabul of failing to prevent militants from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of various militant groups, from carrying out attacks in Pakistan, then seeking refuge in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan denies the charges and reaffirms its commitment to not allowing cross-border militant operations.