NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Three children lost their lives in a landmine explosion in Mir Ali tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district on Thursday, police officials said.

The children encountered the landmine while grazing cattle in the fields near the Khajori area. All three died on the spot.

The officials believed the victims, who couldn’t be immediately identified, were residents of the nearby Zakirkhel village.

Earlier this week, the bodies of six individuals were found in the Mir Ali area. Bannu RPO Qasim Ali Khan said these bodies were found in the fields of the Mosaki area.

The senior official said the deceased, who worked as barbers, hailed from Punjab and were victims of unidentified attackers. “One of the victims, identified through a computerised ID card, was a native of Dera Ghazi Khan,” he said.

‘Two security men martyred’

Meanwhile, two security officials were martyred in an explosion in North Waziristan on Thursday.

According to local sour­ces, the officials lost their lives after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a bomb disposal unit of the security forces in the Razmak area. The area was quickly cordoned off and a search operation was launched.

No official statement about the incident was imme­diately issued by the Inter-Services Public Rela­tions.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2024