Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Gunmen opened fire on the patrol in the region, which has long been affected by insurgent activity, killing five police officers and two civilians. Police said multiple assailants carried out the attack before setting the vehicle ablaze.
Kohat lies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, close to Pakistan’s former tribal areas along the frontier with Afghanistan, where security forces have faced repeated strikes in recent days.
“Several gunmen attacked a police patrol. A senior officer is among the five policemen who were killed. They also burnt the vehicle,” a police spokesperson said.
Two civilians who were wounded in the assault later died in hospital. No group has claimed responsibility.
The ambush followed a drone and gun attack a day earlier in the nearby district of Karak, where three paramilitary troops were killed.
The violence comes after Islamabad carried out air strikes in Afghanistan on Saturday, saying it had targeted militants linked to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.
Kabul and the United Nations said at least 13 civilians were killed in the strikes.
Islamabad maintains that armed groups have been allowed to operate from Afghan soil and launch attacks across the border.
In a statement issued on 21 February, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had “conclusive evidence” that the attacks were carried out by what it calls Khwarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), its term for the Pakistani Taliban.
The ministry said the group acted on instructions from “their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers”.
It added that Pakistan had conducted “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts” used by the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan Province.
Afghanistan has rejected the allegation, describing the problem as an internal matter for Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s attack was an act of terror that targeted civilians on Afghan soil and violated Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty and a “breach of international law, the principles of good neighbourliness and Islamic values”.
It added: “An appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time.”
Border areas have long hosted Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose conflict with the state began in 2007.
British lawmakers on Tuesday voted against launching an inquiry into whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer misled Parliament over his decision to app...
Five million children across Sudan’s Darfur region are facing extreme deprivation, the United Nations childr...
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran t...
Tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border are intensifying as Israeli strikes push deeper into the Bekaa Valley, fuelling fears of wider escalation ...
Former close aide to Keir Starmer admitted on Tuesday he was “wrong” to back the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U....
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Türkiye is expanding its diplomatic mediation efforts in Iran- U.S. talks amid rising regional tensions, as Ankara continues to position itself as a key facilitator in broader Middle East stability efforts.
Oil prices extended gains on Monday, rising nearly 2% as peace talks between the U.S. and Iran stalled while shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remained limited, keeping global oil supplies tight.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran can contact the United States directly if it wishes to negotiate an end to the conflict between the two countries, now in its second month.
Disney+ has debuted Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, a new collection of animated musical sequences reimagined in American Sign Language (ASL), released on 27 April to mark National Deaf History Month.
Market reaction to DeepSeek’s preview of its next-generation artificial intelligence model has been relatively subdued, in sharp contrast to the global shock triggered by its breakthrough releases last year.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Adidas shares rose after Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe delivered a historic performance at the London Marathon on Sunday (26 April), becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
British lawmakers on Tuesday voted against launching an inquiry into whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer misled Parliament over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S.
Five million children across Sudan’s Darfur region are facing extreme deprivation, the United Nations children’s agency said on Tuesday, issuing an emergency warning as the civil war in the country enters its fourth year.
Former close aide to Keir Starmer admitted on Tuesday he was “wrong” to back the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., amid mounting political pressure.
Russia has significantly expanded its blacklist of European Union officials and figures banned from entering the country, in retaliation for Brussels’ newly approved 20th sanctions package against Moscow.
China is moving to make it easier and cheaper for people to have children, with lawmakers reviewing plans to expand maternity insurance coverage nationwide.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment