PESHAWAR: A group of suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying women activists from a non-governmental organisation in the North Waziristan district on Monday, killing four of them and wounding the driver, police said.
The attack took place in the village of Epi in Mir Ali, a town in the North Waziristan district, said Iqbal Khan, a local police officer. Shafi Ullah Khan, a district police officer (DPO), also confirmed the attack, saying police had launched a search in an effort to trace and arrest
the attackers.
The militants fled to nearby mountains and no one has claimed responsibility. Officials said the victims were from Sabawoon Rehabilitation Centre, which provides training to women interested in doing business from their homes and creates awareness among them about their rights.
The women activists traveled to Mir Ali from the town of Bannu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The attack drew condemnation from rights activists on social media, with most of them demanding swift action against those responsible.
Police said the militants had prior information and were waiting for the women to arrive. Afghanistan-based militants from proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have in recent months stepped up their activities in the border region, raising fears they were regrouping in the province.–Agencies
