On Friday at least seven police officers were killed in an explosion that rocked the police vehicle near the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. In this blast the SHO was also killed and one civilian was injured. A police spokesperson confirmed that the explosion happened near the police mobile vehicle. “Seven officers were killed and one injured.”  After the blast, security forces were deployed at the site; the entire area has been secured, and a rescue operation is underway. As per the Geo News, police force has been deployed in the area to keep the situation under control.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border under attack

Ever since the Taliban resumed control over Afghanistan, there has been a drastic increase in attacks in Pakistan, especially in the border areas. Provinces located near the Afghan border like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have experienced cross-border militant attacks. In reply to the attacks, Pakistan launched a military campaign “Ghazab Lil-Haq.” According to Pakistani authorities, at least 641 Afghan Taliban militants have been killed in strikes along the Pak-Afghan border.

Before the start of the “Ghazab Lil-Haq” operation, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of targeting residential areas such as Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, which resulted in civilian casualties.

30 percent increase in deaths due to conflicts

This is the second attack in this month, earlier on March 8, an unidentified gunman shot a senior Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officer in Quetta, Balochistan. According to the popular Pakistani daily Dawn, Officer Mehta Khan had recently taken charge and was shot while passing through the Killi Ismail area. Search for the attackers is still ongoing, and police have cordoned off the area. While attacks have increased across the border, an Islamabad-based think tank shared that there has been a 30 percent increase in deaths due to conflicts and suicide attacks in the country, mainly from the Afghan side.