- DPO says attack took place minutes before iftar in Nawe Kale.
- Police launch search operation in Nawe Kale, surrounding areas.
- KP Police’s Ababeel Squad regularly patrols various markets.
Four police personnel of the Ababeel Squad — an exclusive patrolling force — were martyred and two others injured after unknown assailants opened fire on them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday.
The attack took place minutes before iftar in the Nawe Kale area of Bajaur’s Khar tehsil. The deceased officials have been identified as Yaar Zada, Daud, Imran, and Siraj, while the injured personnel include Irshad and Aziz.
District Police Officer (DPO) Bajaur Muhammad Khalid told the media that the Ababeel Force regularly patrols various markets in the area.
The six officers were travelling on three motorcycles when the attackers opened indiscriminate fire at them.
The police launched a search operation in Nawe Kale and its surrounding areas following the gun attack.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has seen an increase in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the provinces of KP and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan.
Amid the rising terror incidents, Pakistan last Saturday carried out intelligence-based strikes targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates and the Daesh-Khorasan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to 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 the 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.
