PESHAWAR: A senior police officer and six others were killed when gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said on Tuesday, as security forces separately killed four suspected militants in a nearby district.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Suhail Afridi condemned the attack in Kohat district, calling it “extremely tragic” and saying the sacrifices of the slain officers would not go in vain.

“The police are the first line of defense against terrorism and their sacrifices are unforgettable,” he said in a statement, adding that the provincial government stood in solidarity with the families of the victims and had directed authorities to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured.

According to the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asad Mahmood, Inspector Innaar Gul and other personnel were among those killed when armed assailants opened fire on their vehicle near Shakardarra

Road. Mahmood and two guards died at the scene.

Authorities said a total of seven people were killed in the attack.

APP reported additional police contingents were dispatched to the area, which was cordoned off as a search operation was launched to track down the attackers, adding that an investigation was underway.

In a separate intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed four suspected militants, the military’s media wing said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said troops engaged militants at their location following reports of their presence in the area, according to Radio Pakistan.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered after an exchange of fire.

A “sanitization operation” was continuing to clear the area of any remaining militants, it said.

Militant violence has surged in parts of northwestern Pakistan in recent months, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan.

Most of these attacks are claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed militant entity that Pakistan says operates from Afghan soil across the border, though the administration in Kabul denies the allegation, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.