PESHAWAR, Pakistan – In a brazen wave of violence, unknown assailants launched coordinated attacks on three police stations near Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring eight people including two policemen. The incidents, reported by local media on Sunday, underscore the escalating security threats in the region.
According to reports from Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn, the assaults targeted Mattani and Badhaber police stations, along with the nearby Sarra Khawra police checkpost on Saturday evening. Security forces responded swiftly, engaging the attackers in intense firefights.
A senior police officer revealed that the Mattani station faced assaults from two directions. Assailants hurled a hand grenade inside the Badhaber station from Mera Mashokhel Road, wounding one officer. At Sarra Khawra checkpost, a third attack left one policeman and six civilians injured.
Superintendent of Police Arshad Khan from Saddar Division disclosed that the militants employed modern weaponry, including hand grenades and advanced rifles. They also used sophisticated gadgets like infrared cameras, commonly known as night vision devices, highlighting their tactical sophistication.
After the failed assaults, the attackers fled the scene. A massive search operation has been launched to apprehend them, with police vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
This spate of violence follows a deadly attack earlier in the week in Kohat district, where seven people, including six policemen, were killed when assailants targeted a police vehicle transporting suspects to court. The deputy superintendent, an inspector, and four constables perished, and the vehicle was set ablaze.
On Monday, militants struck an ambulance ferrying wounded federal constabulary personnel from a quadcopter drone attack in Karkh’s Badarkhel area, killing at least three jawans and injuring two rescue workers. The district police officer confirmed to Geo News that five personnel were initially hurt in the checkpost strike before the ambulance ambush.
These incidents reflect a sharp rise in terrorist activities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the 2022 ceasefire between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan collapsed. Security analysts warn of further escalation unless decisive measures are taken.