Peshawar: At least eight people, including six law enforcement personnel, were killed and many others injured on Saturday in a suicide attack targeting a police picket in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The blast occurred at the Aslam Check Post in Mir Ali tehsil of the North Waziristan tribal district, which borders Afghanistan, according to sources. Riding three-wheelers, the bombers struck the check post and vehicles of the security forces, resulting in the deaths of four police personnel, two soldiers, and two civilians.

Those injured were immediately shifted to a local hospital, with reports indicating that the casualty figure may rise. Security forces cordoned off the area following the attack, and as of now, no group has claimed responsibility.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack, stating, "Sacrifices of the security forces in the war against terror would be remembered for a long time to come. Activities against terror outfits would continue unabated till their total elimination from the region."

Rising Terrorism Trends
Pakistan has recently witnessed a significant increase in terrorist activities. Earlier this month, around a dozen militants were eliminated by security forces during anti-terrorism operations in the North Waziristan district. On Thursday, ten security personnel were killed, and three others injured when militants attacked their check post in the Dera Ismail Khan district.

Since the Taliban took over the government in Kabul in 2021, there has been an uptick in terrorist incidents in Pakistan. The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Most terror incidents are reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which border the neighbouring country. A report published by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) think tank earlier this month highlighted a sharp increase in fatalities from terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90 per cent surge in violence nationwide.

The total fatalities from the first three quarters of this year have surpassed those recorded for the entire 2023, amounting to 722 deaths, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws. Nearly 97 per cent of these fatalities occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, marking the highest percentage in a decade.

With PTI inputs