In yet another violent escalation along Pakistan’s western frontier, at least three security personnel were killed and several others injured when gunmen ambushed a security convoy in the Tirah Valley
of Khyber district, according to initial reports. According to security sources, the attack began at dawn and led to an intense 30-minute exchange of heavy gunfire between the gunmen and stationed troops.
The attackers, reportedly equipped with sophisticated weapons, launched a surprise strike from surrounding hills, catching the security post off guard. Four to five soldiers are said to be in critical condition, and all the injured personnel were swiftly airlifted to a nearby military hospital for treatment. Reinforcements were deployed immediately, and a large-scale search operation has been initiated to trace the fleeing attackers.
The mountainous terrain near the Afghanistan border has been an area that has long been a hotbed of militant activity. The Tirah Valley, once a stronghold of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated groups, has witnessed a resurgence in militant attacks in recent months.
Just last week, two soldiers were killed in a similar ambush in North Waziristan, while intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have intensified amid growing militant presence. Officials fear that cross-border infiltration from Afghanistan is fuelling the renewed wave of violence, threatening Pakistan’s fragile security situation in the tribal belt.
