LAKKI MARWAT: A blast near a police vehicle in the Bettani tribal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat district martyred at least seven policemen, a police spokesperson said on Friday.
According to the spokesperson, the explosion occurred close to a police mobile, resulting in the deaths of six officers, while one policeman sustained injuries in the incident.
The injured officer was rushed to Insaafuddin Hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Following the blast, additional police contingents were dispatched to the area to secure the site and assist in further response measures, the spokesperson added.
Condemning the incident, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to the martyred police personnel and expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to their families.
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which share a border with Afghanistan, since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.
In response to the escalating terror incidents, Pakistan launched "Operation Ghazab lil-Haq," during which at least 641 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed in strikes conducted along the border and inside the neighbouring country.
According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, over 855 Afghan Taliban fighters have been injured, 243 checkposts destroyed, 42 captured, and 219 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery guns eliminated.
Prior to this operation, Pakistan had also targeted seven terrorist camps and hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border belonging to Fitna al Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates, and Daesh-Khorasan, in retaliation for recent suicide attacks.
The airstrikes were carried out in Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces of Afghanistan, the security sources said, adding that more than 80 militants were killed in the airstrikes.
The two countries, back in October 2025, were also engaged in border clashes after the Afghan Taliban and militants launched unprovoked attacks against Pakistan’s border posts.
The resulting clashes led to the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the motherland.
However, despite many rounds of talks, both countries failed to reach an agreement due to the Afghan Taliban regime's reluctance to take action against terrorist outfits.
