At least five police officers were killed in two coordinated attacks on police vehicles in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, highlighting a renewed surge in armed violence in the region, officials said.The first attack took place in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where gunmen ambushed a police car and shot dead an officer. Within minutes, as additional personnel rushed to the scene, the attackers attacked again, killing four more officers, local police official Kamran Khan told the Associated Press news agency.
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No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which appeared to be carefully timed to target responding officers.The violence came just one day after another deadly incident in nearby Karak. On Monday, the attackers used an explosives-laden drone to strike a paramilitary site, wounding several individuals. While the wounded were being transported for treatment, the attackers ambushed two ambulances. Three officers were killed in the attack and their bodies were burned before the attackers fled. Despite suffering burns, the driver of the second ambulance was able to evacuate the other injured officers to safety.
Authorities later found the remains of the dead employees.While no group has officially claimed responsibility for this week’s attacks, suspicions are likely to fall on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban. This group differs from the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan, but maintains close relations with them. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Pakistani Taliban of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, which is denied by the movement and the Taliban administration in Kabul.The latest bloodshed follows a major military operation along the Afghan border on Sunday in which Pakistani armed forces said they killed at least 70 militants in strikes on suspected hideouts. The army said that those targeted were linked to recent attacks inside the country.The successive attacks highlight the growing security challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant attacks have intensified in recent months.
