Peshawar [Pakistan], August 9 : Highlighting the deteriorating law and order situation and persistent state failure to curb targeted violence, two tribal elders were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the Zarmilan area of Toi Khulla tehsil in Lower South Waziristan, Dawn reported on Sunday.
The victims were travelling in a motor vehicle from the Gul Kach area towards Zarmilan when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them at Darozanda, according to Lower South Waziristan District Police Officer (DPO) Shah Hassan.
The two tribal leaders sustained multiple gunshot injuries and died on the spot. Authorities identified the deceased as Haji Gul and Malik Badshah, both belonging to the prominent Suleman Khel tribe, Dawn reported.
The attackers managed to flee the scene immediately after the shooting.
Confirming the incident, the DPO stated that police have filed a preliminary report at the Toi Khulla police station and initiated a probe, adding, "Every aspect of the incident is being examined, and efforts are under way to trace and arrest the assailants."
The fatal attack reflects the chronic security collapse across Lower South Waziristan and the broader Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where residents continue to endure targeted killings, explosive strikes, kidnappings for ransom, extortion, and frequent ambushes on security personnel.
Community figures and tribal leaders have increasingly fallen victim to lethal violence amid the growing influence of armed groups and insufficient administrative protection, Dawn reported.
Earlier in May 2026, a prominent tribal elder and chief of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, Malik Tariq Wazir, was killed alongside two others in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near Gulshan Plaza in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana. The explosion occurred as his vehicle traversed the crowded market, with explosives allegedly planted overnight and detonated remotely.
The violence further escalated in June 2026, when two sons of tribal elder Malik Jamil Wazir were shot dead by unidentified gunmen near Kari Kot Bazaar in Wana, Dawn reported. The brothers were riding a motorcycle when armed attackers opened fire, killing both at the scene and injuring a bystander before escaping without resistance.