In a violent incident early Monday in northwest Pakistan, militants launched an assault on a police station, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 officers and wounding six others.
The attack occurred in the Draban area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province at approximately 3 a.m. local time, beginning with sniper fire before the assailants breached the station and employed hand grenades, according to statements from local police officials.
The perpetrators of the attack have not been immediately identified, and it remains unclear if the incident was connected to the impending general elections set for later in the week.
The region has witnessed heightened violence, including the recent killings of a national assembly candidate and a political leader in separate incidents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, respectively.
Additionally, an attack following an election rally in Balochistan claimed four lives, with ISIS claiming responsibility.
The Draban area is known as a bastion for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, a conservative religious group whose leader, Maulana Fazal Ur Rehman, reportedly met with the Taliban’s supreme leader in Afghanistan last month. The party has voiced concerns over the security situation, advocating for a postponement of the elections.
This surge in militant activities, particularly against security forces, has been noted since 2022 following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement between the Pakistani Taliban and the government.
