A member of the police’s Ababeel Squad was killed and another injured when unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Sunday.

They were attacked at the city’s Hamla Mundan Park, the police said and added that the attackers also took away the gun of a police official.

The deceased policeman was identified as Constable Iqrar. His funeral prayers were offered in Banau Police Lines that was attended by the regional police officer, the district commissioner, and army officers.

The wounded policeman was identified as Shafiur Rehman.

A heavy contingent had arrived at the crime scene after the incident. Rescue workers said that the wounded policeman was shifted to Peshawar.

In the recent past, the attacks on policemen have increased. A report published in media earlier this year reported that 665 militant attacks, including 15 suicide bombings, were reported in the province between June 18, 2022, and June 18, 2023.

The report released by KP police reported 382 gun attacks, 107 grenade blasts, 145 IED explosions, 15 rocket and missile hits, and two vehicle-borne IED attacks in the province during that period.

Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has seen an uptick in terrorist attacks since the end of a shaky ceasefire agreed with the outlawed TTP.

The banned group, a separate entity from its ideological twin the Afghan Taliban, has been responsible for hundreds of attacks and thousands of deaths since emerging in 2007.