Four including district administrator killed in militant attack on convoy in northwest Pakistan

• Assistant commissioner, two police officers and a civilian killed in convoy ambush in Bannu
• Attack comes amid sharp rise in cross-border militancy and worsening Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions

PESHAWAR: A militant attack on a government convoy in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday killed a senior district administrator, two police officers and a civilian, officials said, marking the latest escalation in a wave of violence gripping the country’s border regions with Afghanistan.

The assault took place in Bannu, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that has seen repeated attacks since the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, ended a fragile ceasefire with the state in late 2022. Pakistan has blamed the Afghan Taliban government for allowing anti-Pakistan groups like the TTP to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies, as Islamabad struggles to contain a surge in shootings, bombings and targeted killings across KP and other parts of the country.

In Tuesday’s assault, the convoy of Assistant Commissioner North Waziristan Shah Wali was ambushed near Sher Brick Kiln on Miranshah Road. Wali, two policemen and a civilian were killed, police said.

KP Information Minister Shafi Jan condemned the assault, calling it “a heinous and cowardly act, and we will not let the terrorists succeed in their nefarious designs.”

“The martyrdom of Assistant Commissioner Shah Wali is a significant loss for the province, and his services to the region will always be remembered. We will continue to stand strong against terrorism,” Jan said in a statement.

In a separate statement, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also denounced the attack.

“The attack is highly regrettable and condemnable. The enemies of the country cannot deter us with such cowardly acts,” he said.

Afridi directed the provincial police chief to submit a detailed report and ordered “immediate and best medical treatment to the injured.”

No group has claimed Tuesday’s assault.

Pakistan has experienced an intense escalation in violence over the past two years, with security officials attributing much of the renewed militancy to TTP fighters allegedly operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Kabul denies the accusation and says Islamabad must address its own internal security challenges.

Tensions between the two neighbors peaked in October 2025, when a series of deadly clashes along the border killed dozens of soldiers on both sides. Pakistan said Afghan forces had carried out unprovoked attacks. The Taliban government accused Pakistan of violating its territorial sovereignty through airstrikes.

Following the clashes, the two sides held talks in Istanbul, but the discussions failed to produce a breakthrough. Issues related to cross-border militant attacks, border management and refugee repatriations remain unresolved, contributing to one of the most strained periods in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations in years.