Two brothers of police official killed in northwestern Pakistan amid rising militant violence

This combination of photos, created from handout photographs released by Lakki Marwat Police on September 8, 2024, shows two brothers, Safi Ullah (L) and and Naveed Ullah (R), of police investigation officer Shafi Ullah, who were shot dead in northwestern Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: Lakki Marwat Police)

• Incident took place in the volatile Lakki Marwat district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
• The brother of a station house officer in the region were killed in front of their residence on Saturday

PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen killed two brothers of a police official in Pakistan’s northwestern Lakki Marwat district, confirmed a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency on Sunday, as the country grapples with a surge in militant violence in its western region, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani authorities say attacks on security forces and police personnel have significantly increased since the US-led coalition forces left Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Taliban took power in Kabul.
Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that militants have been using Afghan soil to carry out attacks on civilians and security forces, even blaming the Afghan Taliban for facilitating them.
However, the administration in Kabul denies this, asserting that Pakistan’s security problems are Islamabad’s internal issue.
Asked about the Lakki Marwat attack, local police spokesperson Shahid Hameed confirmed the incident and provided details.
“Last night [Saturday], at around 9:30 PM, unidentified terrorists opened fire in front of the residence of Station House Officer [SHO] Shafi Ullah in the village of Abakhel, which is within the jurisdiction of Lakki City Police Station,” he said.
He explained that the SHO’s brothers were outside the house after offering their night prayers when the gunmen, riding a motorbike, opened fire, killing them instantly.
When asked if they had received threats from militants, Hameed maintained no one in the region was safe, and everyone faced threats.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has remained active in the region in such violent activities.
Last month, militants targeted a convoy of local judges in Tank district. Prior to that, an attack on a police station in February claimed the lives of 10 officers and injured six others in Dera Ismail Khan.
Pakistani officials say TTP militants have been using night vision devices and advanced weaponry left behind by US-led forces in Afghanistan.