In Mianwali city, Punjab, a group of approximately 12 to 14 terrorists launched a violent attack on the Qabool Khel police check post using rockets and grenades, resulting in injuries to at least two police officers, according to Geo News. Despite the aggressive assault, the Punjab Police managed to repel the attackers, who subsequently fled the scene.
Following the attack on Monday, senior police officials, including the District Police Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police, quickly arrived with additional forces to secure the area, as reported by Geo News.
This incident comes on the heels of another severe attack last month in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district, where bandits targeted police vans with rockets, killing 12 policemen and injuring six. The attack occurred in the Machka area, a riverine region of Rahim Yar Khan. At the time, two police vans with over 20 officers were trapped in rainwater when bandits launched the rockets. The assault led to the death of a dozen officers, with seven others injured, and five reported missing.
Militant attacks have risen in Pakistan since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, with the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern province of Balochistan experiencing heightened violence. In 2023, Balochistan alone faced at least 170 militant attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 151 civilians and 114 security personnel, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
In response to these growing threats, the federal cabinet approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam in June 2023. This renewed national counter-terrorism initiative aims to address and eliminate terrorism in line with recommendations from the Central Apex Committee under the National Action Plan.