A police constable was martyred and another seriously injured when terrorists opened fire on a police patrol in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Sunday, police said.

The attack took place near the Saeedkhel graveyard, within the jurisdiction of the City Police Station. According to District Police Officer spokesperson Qudratullah Khan, the attackers targeted personnel of the police rider squad while they were patrolling the area.

Constable Sajidullah was killed in the attack, while Constable Muhammad Waqas sustained serious bullet wounds. The body of the martyred officer and the injured policeman were shifted to the Government City Hospital for further procedures and treatment.

Following the attack, a large police contingent reached the site, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to locate the attackers.

The incident comes as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues to face a persistent threat from terrorism, with security personnel increasingly being targeted in attacks across the province.

According to a monthly security assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, deaths of security personnel in terrorism-related incidents in KP, excluding the merged districts, rose from 12 in June to 38 in July. Terrorist fatalities also increased from 37 to 108 during the same period.

Authorities continue to conduct operations and search efforts as investigations into the latest attack are underway.