At least four policemen were martyred and an SHO was injured on Tuesday in an ambush in Maharah area of Dera Ismail Khan's Parowa sub-district.

District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Mohammad Iqbal told DawnNewsTV that suspected terrorists targeted a police van patrolling in the area.

The DPO said that the police party retaliated but the alleged terrorists managed to flee from the scene.

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A search operation was launched in the area and the injured police officer was shifted to Dera Ismail Khan's Combined Military Hospital.

The ambush comes after a terrorist attack last month in Loralai area of Balochistan — 273 kilometres away from DI Khan. Nine people — five civilian employees, three policemen and a candidate — were killed and 21 others suffered injuries in suicide bombing and firing by militants when hundreds of candidates were busy in a written test for recruitment in police force.

A recent study shows that the year 2018 saw a remarkable reduction of 45pc in militant attacks in the country. The study conducted by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies showed the ratio of security forces’ casualties per attack significantly increased in 2018 compared to 2017.

Overall, the security situation significantly improved in the year as the number of attacks, resultant deaths as well as injuries declined by 45pc, 37pc and 49pc, respectively, compared to 2017. The number of suicide attacks also declined.