Five members of Pakistan’s police were killed on Tuesday when their van came under a combined bombing and shooting attack in the country’s northwest, provincial police said, as Pakistan contends with a renewed wave of militant activity.
According to provincial police, the vehicle was first hit by improvised explosive devices before assailants opened fire, killing four officers and the driver. No organization has claimed responsibility for the assault.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack. “Police have always played a frontline role in the war against terrorism,” Sharif said.
The incident occurred in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an area that has seen relatively fewer militant strikes, and comes as relations between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan have deteriorated amid rising violence.
Both countries have struggled to maintain calm following their worst border confrontations since the Taliban assumed power in Kabul, with Islamabad alleging that militants are using Afghan territory to plan attacks.
Afghanistan denies any connection to the attack
Afghan authorities deny the accusation, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are domestic matters.
Pakistan’s mountainous frontier zones host Islamist terrorists affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who have fought the state for nearly two decades.
Tuesday’s ambush follows a series of deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces in the northwest. In October 2024, at least ten frontier police were killed when insurgents stormed an outpost near Dera Ismail Khan.
Foreign nationals and state-linked projects have also been targeted. In March 2024, a suicide bomber struck a convoy in northwestern Pakistan, killing five Chinese nationals, underscoring militants’ capability to employ complex, high-casualty tactics on critical routes.
Security officials have tied the uptick in violence to deteriorating relations with Kabul. Pakistan and Afghanistan traded cross-border fire as recently as earlier this month, weeks after their worst clashes since the Taliban took power in 2021.
Diplomatic efforts have faltered. Talks in early November “reached no workable solution,” Pakistani officials said, even as both sides briefly agreed to de-escalate and discuss mechanisms to prevent further incidents. The Taliban and Islamabad have repeatedly traded accusations over harboring militants and conducting cross-border strikes.
International partners have warned of persistent terror risks. In March 2025, the United States cautioned its citizens against travel to Pakistan, citing the potential for attacks on public spaces and security targets, a risk profile consistent with Tuesday’s police ambush.
The cycle of tit-for-tat claims has further inflamed tensions. In late November 2025, the Taliban said Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan killed civilians, an allegation Islamabad disputes.