LAKKI MARWAT: At least seven police personnel were martyred in a blast near a police vehicle in the Bettani tribal area of Lakki Marwat on Friday, police officials said.

According to a spokesperson for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, the explosion occurred close to a police mobile, initially killing six officers while another policeman sustained critical injuries.

The injured officer was shifted to Insaafuddin Hospital but later succumbed to his wounds during treatment, raising the death toll to seven.

Following the blast, additional police contingents were dispatched to the area to secure the site and assist in rescue and response efforts.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack, paid tribute to the martyred police personnel and expressed condolences to their families.

Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence in recent years, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan.

Following the surge in attacks, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq targeting militant hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, hundreds of militants have been killed and injured during the operation, while dozens of checkposts and military assets used by militants were destroyed.

Security sources also said that prior to the operation, Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes against militant camps linked to Fitna al Khawarij and Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Afghanistan’s provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost.

Despite multiple rounds of talks between Islamabad and Kabul, tensions have persisted as Pakistani authorities accuse the Afghan Taliban government of failing to act against militant groups operating along the border.