At least six to seven Pakistani police officers were killed on Monday, 12 January 2026, when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated against their armoured vehicle in the Gomal area of Tank district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province near the Afghan border.
The attack occurred during a period of escalating militant violence in Pakistan’s northwest, with several blasts reported in Tank and neighbouring Lakki Marwat district on the same day, injuring additional police personnel. Government officials, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the assault as a cowardly act, honouring the lives lost in service of public safety.
While no group has immediately claimed responsibility, authorities are pointing to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) involvement amid a broader security crisis marked by insurgent strikes and counter-terror operations.
Tank Blast Kills Officers
The deadly explosion struck a police armoured personnel carrier (APC) en route from Gomal police station to Tank city, hitting it with a remote-controlled IED planted along the roadside, according to police statements. Initial reports varied slightly, with some confirming six policemen martyred including a station house officer (SHO) and others placing the toll at seven as more information emerged.
The officers killed included the SHO of Gomal station, Sub-Inspector Sher Aslam, driver Abdul Majeed, and constables Arshad Ali, Hazrat Ali and Ehsan Ullah, among others. Rescue teams swiftly transported the bodies to Tank District Headquarters Hospital, and police quickly cordoned off the area to conduct a search for those responsible.
In a separate incident on the same day, another IED blast occurred near Darra Tang in Lakki Marwat district, injuring three police personnel, including a SHO. Authorities described both attacks as part of a coordinated effort to target law enforcement across KP on Monday.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed deep sorrow over the incident, saying the slain officers “sacrificed their today for the peaceful tomorrow of the nation” and pledged that their sacrifices would always be honoured. Provincial leaders, including KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, also condemned the bombings, while affirming that security forces remained resolute in combating militancy.
Escalating Militant Violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The deadly Tank blast is the latest in a string of militant attacks targeting security personnel across KP, a region that has seen a resurgence of violence following the breakdown of informal ceasefires and intensified offensive operations. In recent weeks and months, several police and counter-terrorism officials in Peshawar, Bannu, Bajaur and Karak districts were killed or wounded in various ambushes and IED explosions.
While no militant group has publicly claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack, suspicion in security circles strongly points to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist insurgent group that has stepped up its campaign against Pakistani state targets.
Islamabad frequently accuses the Afghan Taliban government of allowing TTP fighters to use Afghan territory as a base to launch cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies, calling Pakistan’s internal security its sovereign issue.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, culminating in deadly border clashes in October 2025 before a Qatar-brokered ceasefire was agreed. Despite that truce, talks held in Istanbul in recent months have failed to produce a durable peace, and militant strikes have continued unabated in several districts of KP and adjoining tribal areas.
Security analysts note that such attacks not only aim to undermine state authority but also seek to erode public confidence in law enforcement’s ability to maintain safety and order. Multiple bomb incidents in Tank and Lakki Marwat on the same day underline the persistent threat and operational capabilities of militant networks operating in the region.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The tragic loss of life among police personnel individuals who place themselves in harm’s way to protect communities is a sobering reminder of the human cost of protracted conflict. Rather than reducing this complex crisis to simplistic binaries of blame, there is a pressing need for approaches rooted in empathy, human dignity, and long-term stability.
Military responses, while necessary to protect lives, must be paired with meaningful dialogue that addresses the underlying socio-economic drivers of militancy, cross-border mistrust, and grievances that fuel cycles of violence.
