Police reported that at least nine officers were killed and 28 others wounded when militants assaulted a police checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northwestern Pakistan. The subsequent security operation resulted in the deaths of 15 insurgents.
The incident occurred Wednesday night at the Khazana checkpoint in Hangu district, near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan, according to KP Police. Deputy Superintendent of Police Diyar Khan was killed when the assailants struck the post with heavy weapons.
Additional security personnel were sent to repel the assault, but before reinforcements arrived, they came under fire from militants who had been waiting. An armored personnel carrier sustained severe damage during the engagement.
KP Police stated that nine officers were martyred and 28 individuals, including DSP Mujahid Hussain, were injured. The force reported that 15 “khawarij” — the designation used by Pakistan’s government and military for the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) — were killed in the counter‑operation, with several additional militants reported wounded.
Police noted that the clash between the khawarij militants and security forces remains ongoing.
No group claimed responsibility, though the TTP has repeatedly attacked security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2007, seeking to enforce its strict interpretation of Islamic law nationwide.
Militant violence in Pakistan has risen sharply in recent years, especially after the Afghan Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021. Islamabad alleges that Afghanistan’s Taliban regime provides sanctuary to TTP militants, a claim denied by Kabul.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistani military reported that security forces had killed 32 militants in intelligence‑driven operations conducted over the prior 24 hours across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan.
On July 24, militants assaulted a joint police‑and‑security checkpoint in the Tank district, killing 15 people, including 12 soldiers, two policemen and a government official.
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