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| File photo for illustration |
A senior government official and three others were killed Tuesday in a militant ambush in northwestern Pakistan, local police reported.
Shah Wali Khan, the assistant commissioner of North Waziristan district, was attacked while traveling on the Bannu-Miranshah Road. Assailants opened fire on his official vehicle in the Mamandkhel area, killing Khan, two police guards, and a civilian bystander. The militants then set the vehicle ablaze.
Police have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to apprehend the attackers.
The attack is part of a recent surge in violence in Pakistan's border regions. Just one day earlier, a suicide bomber targeted security forces in Lakki Marwat district within the same province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing one policeman and injuring six. This follows reports that on Sunday, security forces foiled separate militant attacks in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
The districts of North Waziristan, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat form a volatile region that has long been a stronghold for militant activity, including operations by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).