2 tribal elders shot dead in KP's South Waziristan

LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Two tribal elders were shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Zarmilan area of Toi Khulla tehsil of Lower South Waziristan on Sunday, police said. Lower South Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Shah Hassan told Dawn that the victims were travelling in a car from the Gul Kach area towards the Zarmilan area when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle at Darozanda. The two men sustained multiple bullet wounds and died at the scene, the DPO said, adding that the deceased were identified as Haji Gul and Malik Badshah, both belonging to the Suleman Khel tribe. He said the attackers fled the area after the shooting. “Police have filed a preliminary report at the Toi Khulla police station and launched an investigation into the incident,” he said. “Every aspect of the incident is being examined, and efforts are under way to trace and arrest the assailants.” Lower South Waziristan, as well as the rest of KP, has been facing security challenges and continues to witness incidents of targeted killings, bomb blasts, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and attacks on police and security personnel. Tribal elders and members of their families have also been targeted in attacks in recent months. In May 2026, a tribal elder and chief of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, Malik Tariq Wazir, was among three people killed in an improvised explosive device blast near Gulshan Plaza in the busy Rustam Bazaar area of Wana. Four other people were injured in the incident. The blast occurred when Tariq was passing through the market in a vehicle. Police said explosives had allegedly been planted near the plaza during the night and detonated in the morning. Similarly, in June 2026, two sons of tribal elder Malik Jamil Wazir were shot dead by unidentified gunmen near Kari Kot Bazaar in Wana tehsil. The two brothers were travelling on a motorcycle from their home towards Kari Kot Bazaar when armed men opened fire on them. Both were killed at the scene, while a passerby was injured in the attack. The assailants had fled after the shooting.