Armed men opened fire on a traffic police mobile vehicle in Wazirabad Bazaar of Tank district on Monday, leaving three traffic police personnel martyred. District Police Officer Abdul Samad Khan confirmed the tragic incident and shared further details.
ASI Ismatullah sustained injuries in the firing and was immediately shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. Two passers-by were also wounded in the attack, according to the police official.
The attackers fled the scene after taking the traffic police mobile vehicle. The vehicle was later recovered from Gara Budha. Police have cordoned off highways and pedestrian routes in the area as efforts continue to arrest the fleeing suspects.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the firing and expressed deep grief over the deaths of the three traffic police personnel. He offered heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyred personnel and said the nation salutes their sacrifice. Naqvi added that the government stands with the bereaved families in their hour of grief and stressed that the sacrifices of those killed in the fight against terrorism would not go in vain.
This deadly attack in Tank comes amid a series of recent terrorist incidents targeting law enforcement personnel and civilians across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Just two days earlier, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into an anti-smuggling check post in the Darazanda area of Dera Ismail Khan. At least 13 people, including two women and a two-year-old child, were martyred in that blast. The victims included Customs, Excise and Rescue officials along with civilians. At least 35 people were also injured, according to the Regional Police Officer.
Last week, an explosion targeted a mosque inside Kohat’s old Police Lines during Friday prayers. The blast killed 22 people, including 16 police officials, and injured 103 others. Police and security forces later launched an overnight clearance operation inside the Police Lines in which eight militants were killed, as reported by the Central Police Office.
According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 475 violence-linked fatalities during the second quarter of 2026, the highest figure among all provinces. The latest attack in Tank once again highlights the serious security challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in the region.
