PESHAWAR: An attack on a police vehicle martyred seven policemen, including an officer, in the Bettani subdivision of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Friday.

The spokesman of the district police officer, Qudratullah, said that a squad of the Shadikhel police station was on routine patrol duty in the area when the terrorist attack occurred. The vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED).

The official said that terrorists had planted an IED along the Shahdikhel-Mastikhel road to target the law enforcement personnel. Six policemen, including a station house officer (SHO) and five constables, lost their lives in the explosion, he said.

The bodies of the martyred and the injured policeman were taken to the hospital. The injured cop later succumbed to his wounds, bringing the total fatalities to seven.

A large police contingent reached the area and launched a search for the perpetrators of the attack.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement issued by the President House, condemned the attack and prayed for the martyrs.

President Zardari wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He further stated that the state’s resolve towards eliminating terrorism remained “unwavering”.

KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.

This marked an “absolute increase of 711 deaths, accounting for over 82 per cent of the net national rise and marking almost a 44pc year-on-year surge in violence in the province”.

Last month, nine police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred in separate terrorist attacks in Punjab’s Bhakkar district and KP’s Kohat and Wana areas.

Only days prior to that, three Federal Constabulary men were martyred in a terrorist attack in Karak, according to officials.