Editorial in The Nation, February 13th, 2023
The security situation in KP continues to be extremely fragile as on Saturday, at least three people were killed and 22 others were injured in a suicide attack on a convoy of a petroleum company in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district. Once again, the TTP has claimed responsibility for the attack and it shows that the group continues to have the upper hand thus far in its pursuit of targeting security officials.
As per reports, the attacker was riding in an auto-rickshaw and targeted a vehicle of Mari petroleum company. Seven FC (Frontier Constabulary) soldiers and 15 employees of the petroleum company were injured in the attack, though the police statement did not specify whether the deceased were paramilitary FC soldiers or petroleum company staffers. In fact, there was no official statement until Sunday.
It is important to point out that on December 15, a similar incident took place in Sargardan area of the district when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike targeted the convoy of security forces, leaving three civilians dead and 14 others, including nine security personnel, wounded. While the tactics from one attack to the other remain broadly the same, the militants still manage to get ahead of the security forces.
The situation is extremely concerning and this attack comes days after the police chief in KP was changed following the tragic attack in Peshawar that claimed over a 100 lives. The attack is one of the deadliest ones in the country’s history, and it has also struck such a psychological blow to the law enforcement agencies. Being a frontline force, the police forces have suffered in particular. There are grievances and frustrations which were evident in the protests by police personnel following the attack in Peshawar. With the threat only escalating, the state needs to act immediately on multiple fronts to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
https://www.nation.com.pk/13-Feb-2023/north-waziristan-attack
