PESHAWAR: A roadside blast in northwest Pakistan killed three police personnel, a senior official said Wednesday, adding that the incident occurred when a police van passed over a planted explosive device.
The blast took place in Panyala, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, and was the latest incident in a wave of violence gripping the country’s border regions with Afghanistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has experienced an intense escalation in attacks over the past two years, with security officials attributing much of the renewed militancy to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which they say operates from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Kabul denies the accusations and says Islamabad must address its own internal security problems.
“The victims, including Assistant Sub Inspector Gul Alam, Constable Rafiq and driver Sakhi Jan, died on the spot,” Khalid Khan, a senior police officer in the area, told Arab News over the phone.
He said the “device was planted by terrorists” and that an investigation was ongoing to track them down.
“A police party has been dispatched to the area to confirm the overall situation,” he continued, adding that further details would be shared after the collection of forensic evidence.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, calling the three officers “valiant sons” of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and saying their sacrifices “will always be remembered.”
The province’s chief minister, Sohail Afridi, also denounced the incident, vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
He said police continued to fight militant violence and that such attacks would not deter its officials.
