Kamal Ghorui
At least five police officers were killed in two coordinated attacks on police vehicles in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said, highlighting a renewed spike in militant violence in the region.The first attack took place in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where gunmen ambushed a police vehicle and shot dead one officer. Within minutes, as additional personnel rushed to the scene, the assailants struck again, killing four more officers, local police official Kamran Khan told news agency AP.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, which appeared to be carefully timed to target responding officers.The violence came just a day after another deadly episode in nearby Karak. On Monday, attackers used an explosives-laden drone to hit a paramilitary post, injuring several personnel. As the wounded were being transported for treatment, the assailants ambushed two ambulances. Three officers were killed in the attack, and their bodies were set on fire before the attackers fled. Despite suffering burn injuries, the driver of the second ambulance managed to evacuate other wounded officers to safety. Authorities later recovered the remains of the slain personnel.While no group has formally claimed responsibility for this week’s attacks, suspicion is likely to fall on Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban. The group is distinct from but maintains close ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the TTP of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, an allegation both the group and the Taliban administration in Kabul deny.The latest bloodshed follows a major military operation along the Afghan border on Sunday, in which Pakistan’s armed forces said they killed at least 70 militants in strikes on suspected hideouts. The military said those targeted were linked to recent attacks inside the country.The back-to-back assaults highlight mounting security challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant attacks have intensified in recent months.
