BANNU: Four bodies bearing bullet wounds were found inside an ambulance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Friday, police said.

Police sources told Dawn that the ambulance was found at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Circular Road and initial investigation showed that the four men, who appeared to be middle-aged, were killed after unidentified attackers opened fire on the ambulance.

Officials estimate that the attack was carried out on Thursday night.

They said police reached the site shortly after being informed about the bodies, cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence.

The bodies were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for medico-legal formalities.

Meanwhile, police have registered a case against unidentified attackers and launched an investigation, the officials said.

“The motive behind the attack is yet to be determined and further investigation is under way,” one of the officials said.

Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security forces coming under attack amid a broader surge in militant violence.

Violence in Bannu has included attacks on police and jirga members, prompting targeted operations by police and security forces in various localities to disrupt terrorist networks.

Last week, seven people were killed and three others were injured in two explosions in Marka Bera, a semi-tribal mountainous area of Bannu’s Wazir sub-division.

On June 13, suspected terrorists attempted to destroy the Teri Ram Bridge on the district’s Miryan Road with explosives, causing partial damage to the bridge.

Amid the terrorism surge, a jirga held on June 18 demanded that the government take immediate steps and root out militancy from the region.