Bajaur Honors Four Martyred Ababeel Officers With State Funeral

On February 26, 2026, Bajaur district held a state funeral for four police officers from the Ababeel Squad who were martyred in a gun attack on February 25. The attack occurred just before iftar in the Nawe Kale area during a routine patrol, resulting in the deaths of officers Yaar Zada, Daud, Imran, and Siraj, while two others were injured. District Police Officer Muhammad Khalid confirmed the ambush, stating, "The officers were part of an Ababeel Squad conducting routine patrol when they were ambushed." Following the attack, security forces launched a search operation in the area to apprehend the assailants, who remain unidentified. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the families of the fallen officers and emphasizing the increasing threat of terrorism in the region, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which has seen a surge in violence since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.