Gunmen shot and killed six barbers in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest near the Afghanistan border, according to local police.
The killings in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were not immediately claimed by any group, reported Jamal Khan, a regional police officer.
The attack left the community in shock, as the victims were known to work at different local barbershops. Javed Ali, a town resident, recalled meeting one of the deceased barbers last month.
Mir Ali had previously served as a hub for the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) until the military expelled the insurgents from the area.
The TTP, although distinct, is closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 amidst the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces after two decades of conflict.
Historically, militants in the region had imposed bans on Western-style haircuts and beard trimming.
This incident is part of a series of militant activities in the area, where Pakistani authorities frequently conduct operations against TTP hideouts to prevent their resurgence.
Pakistan recently called on the United Nations Security Council to investigate how the Pakistani Taliban acquired supplies of modern weaponry for launching attacks against Pakistani military installations and individuals during the past year.
Pakistan made these demands during a session of the Security Council focused on the risks posed by the smuggling of small arms and light weapons.
Pakistan’s representative to the UN, Muhammad Osman Jadun, requested the Security Council to investigate how the Pakistani Taliban obtained illegal supplies of weapons, which they have used in attacks against Pakistani security forces.
