DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Three traffic policemen were martyred when unidentified armed men opened fire on their mobile van in the Wazirabad Bazaar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, a senior police official confirmed.

“Three traffic policemen travelling in the mobile van were martyred on the spot in the attack,” District Police Officer Abdul Samad Khan told Dawn, adding that the attackers fled the scene.

Khan said the attackers had also taken away the traffic police vehicle after the incident. However, the vehicle was later recovered from the Garah Budha area, he added.

He added that two passers-by were also injured in the firing and were shifted to a hospital for treatment.

“Police have sealed the roads and other possible routes, including pedestrian tracks, to prevent the attackers from escaping,” the DPO told Dawn. He said efforts were underway to trace and arrest those involved.

The attack triggered a security operation in the area, with police personnel deployed at various points and search efforts continuing. Further details about the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the attack were not immediately available.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed deep sorrow over the attack and sought a report from the relevant senior authorities. In a statement, the governor conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and colleagues of the martyred policemen.

Kundi directed the authorities to ensure that all possible medical treatment was provided to the injured and prayed for their early recovery.

Earlier this month, at least 21 people, including 15 police officials, were martyred when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque in Kohat Police Lines, followed by terrorists storming the compound and attacking police facilities, according to senior police and district health officials.

On July 26, a terrorist attack on a joint police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district martyred 15 people, including 14 security personnel, the military’s media wing.

Among those martyred were 12 soldiers, two policemen and a government official.

In another attack during the same month, two cops were martyred and as many injured in what police suspected was an improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

KP has been facing security challenges, and according to monthly data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), mainland KP recorded 54 terrorist attacks last month, marking a 50 per cent increase compared to July.