Three officers killed by roadside bomb in northwestern Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan A devastating roadside bomb struck a police vehicle on Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of three officers, authorities reported. This marks the third similar assault in as many days.

The explosion took place in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province close to the Afghan border, according to police official Sajjad Khan. Details remain limited as investigations continue.

No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. However, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi attributed the attack to the Pakistani Taliban.

The Pakistani Taliban, also called Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, operates independently but maintains ties with Afghanistans Taliban government. The group has escalated assaults against security forces in recent years, contributing to rising militant violence in Pakistan and increasing tensions with Afghanistan.

Authorities in Islamabad accuse the TTP of using Afghan territory as a safe zone following the Talibans takeover in 2021, a claim that Kabul denies.

Wednesdays bombing follows an ambush in Bannu the previous day, where militants attacked a vehicle carrying a government administrator, killing him along with two guards and a passerby.

Cross-border tensions have flared in recent months. In October, the Taliban-led Afghan government accused Pakistan of a drone strike in Kabul, leading to clashes that killed dozens of soldiers, militants, and civilians. A cease-fire mediated by Qatar on October 19 remains in effect, though recent negotiations in Istanbul have made little progress.

Author: Ava Mitchell