Three traffic police officers killed in attack in Pakistan's Tank district

Three traffic police officers were killed and two wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern Tank district on Monday, police said.

The attack comes as assaults on law enforcement personnel continue across the region.

What happened in the Tank attack on police officers?

Gunmen targeted a police vehicle in the Wazirabad area of Tank district while the officers were on routine duty. Three officers died at the scene and two were taken to hospital. The attackers fled, and police have launched a search operation to find them.

District Police Officer Abdul Samad said the officers were on routine duty in the Wazirabad area when the attackers targeted their vehicle before fleeing the scene. Police said additional personnel had been deployed in the area.

Who were the police officers killed in Tank?

The dead were identified as constables Gul Amin, Saleem Shah and Idress. The injured were Assistant Sub-Inspector Asmat Ullah, the traffic area in-charge, and Constable Zafar Hussain.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the killings and sought a report from senior officials. He offered condolences to the victims' families and directed authorities to ensure the injured received medical treatment.

The attack came two days after at least 13 people, including police and excise personnel, were killed and 33 others wounded in a suicide attack on a security checkpoint in neighboring Dera Ismail Khan district, officials had said.

Bilal Ahmed Faizi, a spokesperson for the emergency service Rescue 1122, had told Nukta that the blast occurred at the Aman Mela police checkpoint in the Darazinda area. Rescue teams recovered 13 bodies and transported 33 injured people to hospitals, he said.

Tank and neighboring districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been a frequent target of militant attacks, particularly against police, security forces and other government personnel.

According to Pakistani security officials, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated militant groups are among the main perpetrators of violence in the region.