At least one person was killed and several others, including women, were injured on Monday after an improvised explosive device (IED) struck a vehicle linked to a private cement factory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district.
According to police officials, the vehicle was traveling from Begu Khel toward Lakki Marwat when it was targeted near the Nawar Khel area on Begokhel Road. District police spokesperson Qudratullah said the attack targeted workers of a cement factory and was carried out by militants referred to by the state as Fitna al Khwarij, a term used for members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The deceased was identified as Faridullah, while eight to ten people were reported injured in varying accounts, reflecting the chaotic aftermath of the blast. Medical officials confirmed that the injured were rushed to City Hospital and Civil Hospital, where an emergency was declared. Hospital spokesperson Dr Kifayat Bettani said at least two victims were in critical condition and confirmed that women were also among the injured.
Following the incident, Lakki Marwat District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan reached the site along with a heavy police contingent. The area was cordoned off and a large-scale search and clearance operation was launched to trace those responsible for the attack.
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Calling the bombing a “cowardly act” aimed at disrupting peace, the DPO said police were on high alert across the district and that all possible measures were being taken to protect lives and property. Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan also visited the injured at the hospital, instructing medical staff to ensure the best possible treatment and assuring families that negligence would not be tolerated.
Police officials extended condolences to the family of the deceased and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Authorities further warned that militants were increasingly targeting civilians after failing to inflict damage on police and security forces.
The attack comes amid a sharp rise in militant violence across Pakistan. According to the Pakistan Security Report 2025 by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), terrorist attacks surged by 34 percent last year, while fatalities increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year. The report documented 699 attacks nationwide in 2025, resulting in at least 1,034 deaths and more than 1,300 injuries, indicating a troubling upward trend since 2021.
Just a day earlier, four police personnel, including three traffic police officers, were martyred in separate shooting incidents in Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts, further underlining the deteriorating security situation in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
