ISLAMABAD
At least eight people, including five security personnel and three civilians, were killed in multiple suspected militant attacks across Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
In the Karak district, militants targeted a vehicle carrying paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel. Three soldiers and their driver were killed, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.
Separately, in the Peshawar district, attackers struck another vehicle late Tuesday night, killing three people, including police inspector Ali Hussain.
In a third incident, 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.
According to the Islamabad-based think tank 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 and then seeking refuge in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan denies the charges and reaffirms its commitment to not allowing cross-border militant operations.