Peshawar, March 13,2026: At least seven policemen, including a station house officer (SHO), were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police vehicle in the Bettani subdivision of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
According to the spokesperson for the district police officer, Qudratullah, a squad from the Shadikhel Police Station was on routine patrol when their vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) along the Shadikhel–Mastikhel road.
The official said terrorists had planted the IED along the roadside to target law enforcement personnel. The powerful explosion initially killed six policemen, including the SHO and five constables, while another officer sustained critical injuries.
The bodies of the martyred policemen and the injured officer were shifted to a nearby hospital, where the wounded policeman later succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll to seven.
Following the incident, a large police contingent reached the area and launched a search operation to trace the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued by the President House and offered prayers for the martyrs. He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured and reaffirmed that the state’s resolve to eliminate terrorism remains “unwavering.”
The attack comes amid a rising wave of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), fatalities in the province increased from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025—an increase of 711 deaths, accounting for more than 82 percent of the national rise in violence and marking nearly a 44 percent year-on-year surge.
Last month, nine police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred in separate terrorist attacks in Bhakkar District in Punjab and the Kohat and Wana areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Only days earlier, three personnel of the Federal Constabulary were also martyred in a terrorist attack in Karak District, according to officials.
