At least four people were killed on Friday when unidentified armed men opened fire on an ambulance in the northwestern Pakistani district of Bannu, police said. The attack occurred within the jurisdiction of Mirakhel police station in the early hours of the morning.
Details of the Attack
Muhammad Bilal, the Mirakhel police station in-charge, told Arab News: “Unidentified armed men opened fire on the ambulance, killing four people on the spot.” He added that the incident took place in the wee hours of Friday. The bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu. Bilal did not disclose the motive of the attack or the identities of the victims. “A First Information Report has been registered against unidentified attackers,” he said, noting that further investigation was underway.
Rising Militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Bannu has witnessed several incidents of violence targeting both civilians and security forces, amid a broader rise in militancy in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. No group claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Pakistani police and security forces have carried out targeted operations in several areas to disrupt militant networks, following a surge in militant attacks in recent years.
Previous Incidents
Last week, seven people were killed and three others injured in twin explosions in Marka Bera, a semi-tribal mountainous area in Bannu. Pakistan blames the surge in militancy in its western regions on militants operating out of Afghanistan, an allegation denied by Kabul. The attacks have soured relations between Islamabad and Kabul, leading to fierce clashes between both sides since February this year.
