A powerful bomb attack took place in in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan on a police armoured vehicle on Monday. The deadly blast has reportedly left seven police personnel dead, officials said. The attack shows the persistent militant threat in the country’s northwest.
According to police and video that been has circulated online, the blast occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted alongside the road exploded when an armoured police patrol vehicle was passing by. The vehicle was on routine duty in the Gomal area. A viral clip showed the moment the armoured vehicle was blown up, its pieces were scattered and it was turned upside down on the roadside.
According to reports, Tank deputy police chief Pervez Shah said that five police personnel were killed instantly when the remote‑controlled bomb exploded, while two others later died in hospital from their injuries.
BREAKING NEWS:😱
🚨🇵🇰“In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, the TTP carried out a landmine explosion & ambush attack on a vehicle belonging to Pakistani militias. According to reports, the attack caused both human & material losses to the militias.” pic.twitter.com/W44sQZiLIz
— Afghanistan Defense (@AFGDefense) January 13, 2026
Several security personnel killed in bomb attack in Pakistan
Those killed included a Station House Officer (SHO), a Sub‑Inspector, three Elite Force personnel, and the driver of the vehicle, police said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack in a statement and paid tributes to the officers. “The brave policemen sacrificed their today for the peaceful future of the nation,” he said, while speaking about the difficulties faced by security forces in confronting the militants in such volatile regions.
Local authorities believe the Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, was behind the attack. The social media posts which are believed to be issued by the group included footage of the blast and claimed responsibility of the attack. TTP has been blamed for many recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighbouring provinces, often targeting police and security forces.
The explosion in Tank has been a part of a wider increase in militant violence across Pakistan’s northwest and southwest, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted security forces with roadside bomb attacks, suicide blasts, and ambushes.
Bomb attacks have a recurring history in Pakistan
Similar blasts have plagued Pakistan in recent years which have caused significant casualties. In November 2025, a suicide bombing near the judicial complex in Islamabad killed 12 people and injured over 36, with militant factions claiming responsibility. Similarly, on 3 November 2023, an IED attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which killed at least five people and injured more than 20 after explosives were hidden on a motorcycle which detonated near a police patrol vehicle.
In July 2025, a bomb attack took place in Bajaur District where a government vehicle carrying senior officers killed five and 17 injured.
