Shangla district's senior police official escapes IED attack

SHANGLA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla District Police Officer (DPO) Shah Hassan, along with other police personnel, escaped a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) attack on Saturday.

Hassan and other police personnel remained safe in the explosion, and there was no other loss of life resulting from the attack, according to police sources. However, a private vehicle belonging to a special branch official sustained damage.

Law enforcement personnel cordoned off the area after the explosion and launched a search operation to apprehend those responsible.

Last year, on March 26, at least six people, including five Chinese nationals, were killed after their vehicle was attacked in Shangla's Besham city.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.

KP remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP's settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.

The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.