Three cops were injured on Saturday in Bhai Chena area of ​​Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur District in a roadside blast, a police official said.

According to Bajaur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abdul Aziz, Liosam station house officer’s (SHO) vehicle was on a routine patrol when it struck a bomb planted on the roadside at Bhai Chena.

Speaking to reporters, DSP Aziz said that Liosam SHO Shahpur Khan was safe but the vehicle was severely damaged.

The DSP also said that a search operation was under way and the injured had been shifted to Khar Headquarters Hospital.

The incident comes just two days after an explosion inside the weapons depot of Swabi’s city police station injured 17 cops. The cause of the explosion was unclear.

A day prior, a policeman was among 12 people injured in a blast that targeted a police van near Eastern Bypass in Quetta.

Rise in terror attacks

Pakistan experienced an increase in terrorist attacks in August as a total of 59 terrorist attacks occurred countrywide compared to 38 attacks in the previous month, according to a digital database maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank.

In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks on midnight of August 25 across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians.

At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants.

Among those killed were 23 people in Musakhail, mostly labourers from Punjab, who were offloaded from trucks and vans and shot dead after an identity check.

Following the incident, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir vowed that the war against terrorism would “continue until the elimination of all terrorists”.

“To fight for the cause of Pakistan, the security forces, along with the law enforcement agencies, and the brave people of Pakistan — especially the brave people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — have made unprecedented sacrifices,” he said.