KURRAM: At least four people, including two security personnel, were killed and three others injured in firing on a passenger bus and a car in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district.

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Imran, armed assailants opened fire on a bus and a car in Sadda area, resulting in the death of four people.

The dead included two security personnel, a driver and a woman, DPO Imran said, adding that the police had launched a manhunt to arrest the attackers while security in the area had been beefed up.

“Armed assailants targeted two vehicles traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar,” the DPO said.

Six barbers were abducted and murdered last week, after which their bodies were dumped in a field in Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan tribal district.

Local and official sources said the bullet-riddled bodies of six men were found in a field in Muski village located in Mir Ali. They said the initial investigation indicated the victims were shot after being kidnapped.

The persons killed, the sources added, were all barbers who were said to be non-local and had recently moved to North Waziristan. They ran a barbershop in Mir Ali Bazaar.

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Terrorist attacks in KP
The year 2023 witnessed an alarming rise in terrorism-related incidents in the country in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular, with 419 militant attacks killing 620 people, including 306 security forces, 222 civilians and 92 militants.

Meanwhile, 977 were injured, including 525 members of the security forces, 402 civilians and 50 militants.

More violence was reported from mainland KP – an 84% increase in militant attacks – than from the newly merged districts (formerly FATA). It witnessed 235 militant attacks in which 336 people were killed, including 213 security forces, 67 civilians and 56 militants, while 589 were injured, including 383 security forces, 163 civilians and 43 militants.

Meanwhile, FATA recorded 184 militant attacks in which 284 people were killed – including 155 civilians, 93 security forces and 36 militants – while 388 including 239 civilians, 142 security forces and seven militants were injured.

The region witnessed a 59% increase in militant attacks in 2023 compared to 2022.