Web Desk: Fitna al Khawarij attacked and set ablaze an ambulance carrying wounded security personnel in Karak Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing three injured members of the Federal Constabulary, officials said, in an assault that has sparked outrage across the region.
The attack occurred on Sunday in Qila Shahidan area of Karak district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to security sources.
Officials said militants first targeted a Federal Constabulary post with a quadcopter strike on Feb. 23, wounding several personnel. Shortly afterward, two ambulances operated by Rescue 1122 arrived at the site to evacuate the injured.
However, as the ambulances transported the wounded from the post, assailants launched another attack. Gunmen intercepted the vehicles and set one ambulance on fire, burning the injured personnel alive inside, authorities said. The second ambulance managed to evacuate some of the wounded to safety.
The ambulance driver and a Rescue 1122 worker sustained burn injuries in the blaze. Authorities shifted the injured to hospitals in Bannu and Karak for treatment.
Officials identified the three slain personnel as Sepoy Murad Gul, Sepoy Ayan Khan and Lance Naik Adil Khan. All were residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Murad Gul and Ayan Khan hailed from Hangu district, while Adil Khan belonged to Mansehra district, officials said.
Other injured personnel included Havaldar Sabir, Muhammad Yousaf, and Hanif, along with ambulance driver Ahmad Hussain.
Security sources said the attackers filmed the assault and circulated the footage on social media, apparently to spread fear among the public. Authorities described the targeting of wounded personnel and emergency responders during the holy month of Ramadan as a deliberate act of brutality.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, although officials blamed militants they refer to as “Khawarij,” a term authorities use for certain insurgent factions operating in the region.
Following the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched search operations to apprehend the perpetrators. Officials vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice and said counterterrorism operations would continue.
“The blood of these martyrs will not go in vain,” a senior security official said, reiterating the government’s commitment to eliminating militancy in the province.
The latest assault underscores persistent security challenges in parts of northwestern Pakistan, where militant attacks on security forces and soft targets have increased in recent months.
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