PESHAWAR: A militant attack on a government convoy in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday killed a senior district administrator, two police officers and a civilian, officials said, marking the latest escalation in a wave of violence gripping the country’s border regions with Afghanistan.
The assault took place in Bannu, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that has seen repeated attacks since the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, ended a fragile ceasefire with the state in late 2022. Pakistan has blamed the Afghan Taliban government for allowing anti-Pakistan groups like the TTP to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies, as Islamabad struggles to contain a surge in shootings, bombings and targeted killings across KP and other parts of the country.
In Tuesday’s assault, the convoy of Assistant Commissioner North Waziristan Shah Wali was ambushed near Sher Brick Kiln on Miranshah Road. Wali, two policemen and a civilian were killed, police said.
KP Information Minister Shafi Jan condemned the assault, calling it “a heinous and cowardly act, and we will not let the terrorists succeed in their nefarious designs.”
“The martyrdom of Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali is a significant loss for the province, and his services to the region will always be remembered. We will continue to stand strong against terrorism,” Jan said in a statement.
