Police officer killed, six wounded in KP roadside bomb attack

A police officer was killed and six others were wounded on Monday when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Where did the KP roadside bomb attack take place?

The improvised explosive device detonated as the police van travelled through the mountainous Ghoul Banda area near Bahadur Khel in Karak district, en route to Sar Dargah for a search operation, District Police Officer Imran Khan said.

All seven personnel aboard the vehicle were injured and the driver later died of his wounds.

Who were the officers killed and injured in the attack?

The driver, Wajid, died of his injuries after being taken to hospital, police said.

The other injured officers were identified as Syed Shah, Noorshali, Imran, Shamim, Gohar and Yasin. Police said the van itself was the intended target, and the blast sent it off the road and into a ditch.

Has anyone claimed responsibility for the Karak bomb attack?

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The area has faced militant violence, with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group among those that have operated in the wider region.

Police and security forces cordoned off the area, collected evidence and launched a search operation to track down those responsible.

Why is Karak considered a hotspot for militant attacks?

Karak is part of a wider belt of militant activity in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where districts including Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat and Hangu have experienced repeated attacks and security operations. Its mountainous terrain and proximity to the former tribal areas have added to the challenges faced by security forces.