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ISLAMABAD: A policeman and three militants were killed in an attack and subsequent search operation in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, authorities said on Saturday.

Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban — also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — and the state broke down in November 2022.

The latest incident occurred in a settlement in the Kohat district of the province when militants attacked a police vehicle, according to District Police Officer (DPO) Dr. Zahidullah.

“In Darmalak, within the jurisdiction of Lachi Police Station, terrorists attacked a police mobile, resulting in the martyrdom of Assistant Sub-Inspector Ashfaq while two police constables were injured,” he told Arab News.

He added that a heavy contingent of police was deployed in the area, and a joint search operation was launched by the district police, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the elite police force.

“During the search operation in difficult mountainous terrain, three militants were killed in an exchange of fire with police,” he said.

The DPO said the identities of the slain militants were being verified, and the search operation was continuing.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, TTP militants have frequently targeted security forces, police convoys and check-posts, as well as carried out targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcement and government officials in recent months.

Last week, the CTD in KP killed nine militants during a counterterrorism operation.

Surging militant attacks in recent years have become a major challenge for Islamabad which has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for sheltering and supporting militant groups who launch crossborder attacks.

Afghan officials deny the charge, saying Pakistan’s security problems are its internal matter.

Pakistan was recognized as the world’s second-most affected country by militant violence in 2024, with deaths rising 45 percent to 1,081, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2025.

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Saturday said the provincial government was “fully mobilized” to deal with the impact of floods in southern Pakistan, where nearly 1.6 million people and over 1,600 villages are at risk.

The deluge, fueled by record monsoon rains and excess water released from upstream India, has created crisis conditions in the country’s most populous Punjab province since Monday, where the trans-boundary Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers have submerged about 2,300 villages and killed at least 30 people.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) cautioned a day earlier that rising river waters were likely to cause extreme flooding in downstream Sindh, with flood waves of 900,000 to 1.2 million cusecs expected to flow through barrages in Punjab and Sindh in the coming days.

Addressing a news conference in Karachi, Memon said floodwaters were expected to enter the province “on the night of September 2 or 3.”

“A provincial Rain and Flood Emergency Monitoring Cell has been set up to monitor the flood situation, which will remain operational round the clock,” he said.

“At present, 192 rescue boats and mobile health units have been deployed,” he continued. “As many as 1.65 million people, 1,651 villages and 167 union councils could potentially be affected, with an estimated 273,000 families at risk.”

The provincial minister said residents of vulnerable areas were being shifted to safer locations, highlighting that most people have voluntarily evacuated from the riverine areas.

“Three hundred camps have also been set up for livestock,” he added. “Continuous monitoring of water levels is underway.”

Memon noted there was no shortage of funds for flood relief activities, adding that the Punjab government was also providing kits in this regard.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah convened an emergency meeting on Friday after flood forecasts, instructing all relevant departments to stay vigilant.

“In case of a major flood wave, not a single life, human or animal, should be lost,” he told officials, directing the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to deploy rescue boats, establish over 500 relief camps, and coordinate with the Pakistan Navy, which has 26 boats on standby.

Around 830 people have been killed and 1,121 injured during the monsoon season since June 26, according to official statistics.

Pakistani officials have warned the flood threat could intensify in the coming days, with the current spell expected to last until at least Sept. 10 and potentially rival the 2022 floods, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused over $30 billion in damage.