Pakistan: IED attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa June 7

Event

Three individuals were killed and one injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack that targeted a police vehicle in the Maidan Circle area of Lower Dir district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) on Thursday, June 7. An investigation is ongoing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Context

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qai'da, Islamic State (IS) affiliates, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Afghan Taliban, and other Islamist militant groups continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite continued army offensives to push them from their northwestern strongholds near the Afghan border. Pakistan has suffered a number of deadly attacks in recent months, notably in Lahore, Quetta, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Advice

Individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and Pakistan more generally, are advised to remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities. Due to a high threat from terrorism, as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence, some Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country as foreign nationals, and in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.