TTP roadside bomb kills 7 police officers in Pakistan

Peshawar: A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in northwestern Pakistan killed at least seven officers on Friday, an attack for which the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility.

The explosion occurred in the Shadi Khel Bettani region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district. Authorities stated that an improvised explosive device (IED) struck the police vehicle while it was patrolling in the vicinity of the Rasool Khel checkpoint.

Six members of the team, including Station House Officer Azam and driver Shah Bahram, died instantly at the scene. A seventh officer, identified as Insafuddin, was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries but later succumbed to his wounds.

In the aftermath of the blast, security forces established a perimeter and initiated a search operation to locate the attackers. Forensic teams are currently gathering evidence at the site of the explosion.

Regional security officials announced that efforts to track those behind the assault are active and that they have increased the security presence throughout the district.

President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing, asserting that the state’s commitment to eradicating terrorism remains “unwavering.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also condemned the violence. According to a release from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Afridi has requested a comprehensive briefing on the incident from the Inspector General of Police.

The chief minister conveyed profound grief over the deaths, describing the event as a tragedy. He stated that the provincial administration remains in full solidarity with the bereaved families and had initially ordered that the best medical care be provided to the wounded before the final death was confirmed.

Afridi added that such "cowardly acts of terrorism" would fail to undermine the determination of the public and the security apparatus.

With inputs from PTI