Three FC personnel martyred in Karak ambulance attack

KARAK: At least three personnel of the Federal Constabulary (FC) were martyred when an ambulance carrying injured troops came under a terrorist attack in the Badrakhail area of Karak, police said on Monday.

According to the district police officer, the personnel had earlier been wounded in a quadcopter attack on an FC post in the Dargah Shaheedan area and were being shifted to hospital for treatment when the ambulance was targeted.

At least five FC men were injured in the quadcopter strike, while two rescue personnel were also wounded in the subsequent ambulance attack, the DPO added.

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Following the incident, police launched a search and clearance operation in the area to apprehend the attackers. Investigations are under way.

The attack comes amid a surge in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan recently carried out intelligence-based strikes targeting seven militant camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khawarij and its affiliates along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to recent suicide attacks, security sources said.

The airstrikes were conducted in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces of Afghanistan, with more than 80 militants reportedly killed.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated in recent months, with Pakistan repeatedly urging the Afghan Taliban authorities to take action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory. Previous border clashes and cross-border attacks have resulted in significant casualties on both sides.