PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Five police officers lost their lives Tuesday when suspected militants carried out coordinated strikes against law enforcement vehicles in Pakistan’s northwestern region, according to local authorities.
The deadly sequence began when attackers targeted a police patrol in Kohat, located within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, resulting in one officer’s death. Police official Kamran Khan reported that when backup forces responded to the scene just minutes afterward, the militants struck again, claiming the lives of four additional officers.
While no organization has stepped forward to take credit for these seemingly orchestrated strikes, such incidents have become more frequent throughout Pakistan in recent months.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement denouncing the Kohat violence and extending his sympathies to the bereaved families.
These attacks come on the heels of Monday’s assault on a paramilitary facility in Karak, where militants deployed an explosive-laden drone that injured multiple officers. The perpetrators subsequently targeted two ambulances carrying the wounded personnel, murdering three officers and setting their remains on fire before escaping. Despite sustaining burn wounds, one ambulance driver managed to transport several injured officers to safety, while authorities later retrieved the victims’ remains.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for this week’s violence, investigators suspect the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. This organization operates independently from but maintains close ties with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban. Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the TTP of conducting operations from Afghan territory, allegations that both the group and Kabul’s government reject.
Pakistan’s armed forces announced they eliminated at least 70 militants during Sunday operations near the Afghan frontier, targeting bases used by Pakistani extremists allegedly responsible for recent domestic attacks.
