- Police stopped a terror attack on Peshawar checkpost.
- Police are alert, says senior official Waqas Rafiq.
- More than 650 terror incidents happened this year.
Four terror attacks in the span of 48 hours have shaken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the latest attempt being foiled by the authorities. The province has been facing an upsurge in terrorist activities since late last year, after the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) ended its ceasefire with Islamabad.
In the most recent incident, eight terrorists attempted to attack the Riaz Shaheed Police Post in Peshawar’s Sarband area at night. However, due to the vigilance of the police, the attack was thwarted, and the militants were forced to retreat.
This attack came shortly after suicide bombers targeted a compound in Bara Bazar, Khyber District, resulting in the martyrdom of four cops and ten others, including police officers and civilians. The police managed to intercept two suicide attackers at the police station near Bara Bazaar and the tehsil headquarters complex.
Prior to the Bara ambush, there was another attack in the Regi area of Peshawar, where two cops were martyred, and two others were injured in a firing incident at the entry checkpoint near Regi Model Town Police Station.
The situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been tense, with a total of 665 militant attacks reported within a year, with the highest number of attacks occurring in North Waziristan. Such incidents have increased since the Afghan Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021. The Pakistani government has warned Afghanistan against harboring the banned TTP, a terrorist organization known for targeting security forces.
According to a report from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), terror activities in Pakistan have surged by 79% during the first half of 2023. This alarming trend has put the security forces on high alert.
KP interim Information Minister, Feroz Jamal, expressed confidence in the police’s ability to handle the growing terrorist activities but also stressed the importance of actions taken by the Afghan government to curb militancy. He emphasized that peace in Afghanistan is directly linked to peace in Pakistan and called for decisive actions against cross-border terrorism.
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The recent series of attacks have once again highlighted the pressing need for effective counter-terrorism measures in the region. The authorities in both Pakistan and Afghanistan must work together to eradicate terrorist networks and ensure the safety and security of their citizens. Cooperation and joint efforts are essential to combat the rising menace of terrorism in the region and bring stability and peace to both nations.
