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Attacks on a security post and ambulances in northwest Pakistan leave 3 dead

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A paramilitary post in northwestern Pakistan came under attack on Monday when a drone loaded with explosives wounded several officers, according to police and local officials.

The attackers later ambushed two ambulances being used to transport the wounded, killing three officers and wounding two rescuers.

The assault took place in Karak, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, district police spokesman Shaukat Khan said. A search is underway for the attackers.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

Khan said Khawarij — a term used by the government for the outlawed Pakistani Taliban — has in recent months used drones to target security posts, raising concerns about the growing sophistication of such attacks.

Pakistan’s military killed at least 70 militants on Sunday in strikes along the Afghan border, targeting what authorities described as hideouts of Pakistani militants they blamed for recent attacks inside the country.

The TTP is separate from, but closely allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban. Islamabad has accused the group of operating from inside Afghanistan, a charge both the TTP and Kabul deny.

Australian watchdog files legal action against Telegram, saying it failed to remove violent content

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s online safety watchdog has filed legal action against messaging app Telegram, saying the platform failed to remove extremist content including videos of white supremacist mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and the New Zealand city of Christchurch as well as Islamic State group beheadings. The United Arab Emirates-based app, which reports having 1 billion users worldwide, faces a fine of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars ($38 million) if convicted in the Australian Federal Court for “alleged failure to detect and remove pro-terror material,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Thursday. The civil action is a test of Australia's 2021 law requiring tech platforms to work to keep illegal and pro-terrorism material off their networks. Telegram denied the claims. “We reject these allegations and will contest them in court,” a spokesperson said in a written statement sent on Telegram.
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