Militants armed with heavy weapons launched a coordinated nighttime assault on a police checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Wednesday, killing at least 11 police officers including a senior officer who led reinforcements to the scene, before security forces killed 15 attackers in an hourslong battle that also left more than two dozen officers wounded.
The attack on the Khazina Banda police post in Hangu district came just days after a similar assault in the Tank district killed 15 security personnel, underscoring the intensifying militant campaign against Pakistani security forces in the province bordering Afghanistan.
What We Know So Far
Militants struck the Khazina Banda checkpoint with heavy weapons late Wednesday evening, triggering an intense and prolonged exchange of fire with officers stationed at the post, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed confirmed.
Additional police personnel were immediately dispatched to reinforce the checkpoint. The militants had anticipated the response and laid an ambush along the reinforcement route, severely damaging the lead armored personnel carrier before officers fought back, the IG said, the Express Tribune confirmed.
Among those killed was Deputy Superintendent of Police Diyar Khan, a senior officer who personally led the reinforcing unit to the scene. Eight other police personnel were also killed. A total of 28 officers and personnel were wounded, including another deputy superintendent, Mujahid Hussain, the Express Tribune confirmed.
Security forces killed 15 militants and wounded several others in the retaliatory operation, the IG confirmed. The vehicle of Hangu District Police Officer Tariq Habib came under fire during the operation but sustained only damage, with Habib escaping unharmed.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Suspicion fell on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, known as TTP, which has significantly escalated attacks on Pakistani security forces across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months, the Associated Press confirmed.
In a separate operation in Swat district, a joint strike by the Counter Terrorism Department and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police against militants in the Shalkho Sar area resulted in the deaths of six terrorists and the martyrdom of one police constable and four members of the Village Defence Committee, security officials confirmed. Several other militants were wounded and evacuated by their accomplices. Surveillance and clearance operations in Swat were continuing.
What Authorities Are Saying
Inspector General Hameed paid tribute to the fallen officers in direct terms.
“The sons of the K-P police stood like rocks against the enemy under extremely difficult and nerve-racking circumstances and embraced martyrdom,” Hameed said. He announced that recommendations would be made for the department’s highest honors for the killed officers and said he would personally meet the families of the martyrs to offer condolences.
“The morale of the K-P police is high and its resolve is as firm as rock. This war to completely eliminate terrorists from every corner of the province will continue with full force and determination,” he said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to DSP Khan and the officers killed alongside him.
“The martyred DSP and police personnel sacrificed their lives and foiled the nefarious designs of the khawarij,” Naqvi said. “The K-P Police are on the front line in the war against terrorism, and I salute their unmatched sacrifices.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the attack and sought a report from the inspector general, directing authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the wounded.
“The establishment of peace is our top priority, and we will not allow the sacrifices of the police force to go in vain,” Afridi said.
Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan described the attack as “an extremely cowardly act” and pledged that the families of those killed would receive every possible support from the government.
Funeral prayers for Constable Gulfam Khan, killed in the Swat operation, were held with full state honors at Police Lines Swat, attended by senior military and police commanders. His body was subsequently transported to his native village in Kohat for burial.
Why This Matters
Wednesday’s assault follows the Tank district attack on Friday in which militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security checkpoint, killing 15 security personnel including soldiers, police officers, and a government official. Security forces killed 12 militants in that operation.
Two major attacks on security checkpoints within days in the same province, both using coordinated tactics including heavy weapons and ambushes on reinforcements, reflect a level of planning and capability that distinguishes the current militant campaign from opportunistic violence.
The TTP, which operates separately from but in close alliance with Afghanistan’s Taliban government, has significantly escalated its operations since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary and logistical support to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul consistently denies.
The dispute has produced a bitter diplomatic rift and active armed conflict between the two neighboring countries. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes on eastern Afghan territory it says target militant positions. The Taliban government and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the most recent Pakistani strikes in June, an account Pakistan disputes.
The tactical evolution visible in the Hangu attack, specifically the pre-positioned ambush along the reinforcement route, demonstrates that militants in the region have developed sophisticated counter-response planning designed to maximize casualties even after the initial assault is contained. DSP Khan’s death while leading reinforcements to the scene illustrates the particular danger this tactic poses to experienced officers.
What Happens Next
Clearance and search operations were continuing in both the Hangu and Swat areas as of Thursday morning, security officials confirmed. Surveillance operations in Swat were also ongoing to prevent any resurgence of militant activity.
The bodies of the officers killed in Hangu were transferred to local hospitals before being handed over to their families. The IG confirmed he would personally visit the families of the martyred officers.
Pakistan’s broader counter-terrorism campaign under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam continues across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with security forces conducting intelligence-based operations alongside the reactive responses to direct attacks. Whether those operations can reduce the tempo of militant attacks that has produced two major checkpoint assaults in less than a week remains the central security question facing the province.
Sources: AP; Express Tribune of India; France24
