Seven cops belonging to two police stations were allegedly abducted in two separate incidents on Sunday while patrolling in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?s South Waziristan district, officials said.

District Police Officer Upper South Waziristan, Arshad Khan, confirmed the incident and said efforts were underway to locate the policemen who went missing during routine patrolling.

?Seven police personnel were patrolling when unidentified individuals took them away,? he told Dawn.com.

He said the alleged kidnapping took place within the limits of the Ladha police station.

In a separate but similar incident, four policemen went missing from Tanga Chagmalai in the limits of Sarwakai police station.

DPO Khan said no information had been received about the missing policemen and a search operation was underway to locate them.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility and the reason for the alleged kidnappings is not clear.

However, policemen and law enforcement agencies personnel have regularly been targeted by militants in KP and Balochistan, especially since November 2022 when the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government vowing to target police and securiy personnel

The incident comes a day after nine terrorists were killed and three security officers injured in an exchange of fire during an operation in Hangu district.

KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed said that security forces and police carried out a joint operation in Hangu?s Zargari Shinawari area.

?Nine terrorists killed in Hangu operation, District Police Officer (DPO) Khalid Khan is undergoing treatment at the Kohat Combined Military Hospital,? a statement issued by Kohat Regional Police Officer Deputy Inspector General Abbas Majeed read.

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.