PESHAWAR — Three Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred in a coordinated attack in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday after a quadcopter drone strike targeted an FC fort and gunmen later ambushed ambulances carrying the injured, police said.

The attack began near Dargah Shaheedan in the Bahadar Khel area, within the jurisdiction of Khurram Muhammad Zai police station. According to officials, the FC fort was struck using a quadcopter drone, leaving at least five personnel injured.

District Police Officer Saud Khan said the wounded officials were being transported to hospital when assailants launched a second attack. Gunmen opened fire on the ambulances and set the vehicles ablaze, resulting in the deaths of three of the injured personnel.

Two Rescue 1122 workers were also wounded in the ambulance assault. The remaining injured were shifted to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital in Bannu for medical treatment.

Police said a search and clearance operation was launched in the area soon after the incident. Authorities later stated that the locality had been cleared, while investigations into the attack remain underway.

The incident comes amid a rise in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in recent years. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) annual report for 2025, fatalities in KP increased from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025, reflecting a significant year-on-year surge.

Security officials have repeatedly called for measures to address militant activity in border regions, as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul remain strained following a series of cross-border incidents.