ISLAMABAD: Two policemen were killed and two others wounded after militants attacked a police check-post in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a police official said on Saturday.
Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the state broke down in November 2022.
In 2024 alone, the military reported that 383 soldiers and 925 militants were killed in various clashes.
The latest incident occurred in the Bannu district of the province when militants attacked the police post in Fateh Khel, a rundown locality on the outskirts of Bannu, according to local police officer Nadir Khan.
“Terrorists mounted the attack at midnight, leaving two police officers, Rahimullah and Ziaullah, dead and two others injured,” Khan told Arab News.
This photo shows a damaged building following a militant attack on police post in Fateh Khel, on the outskirts of Bannu, on February 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Social Media)
“The terrorists, who used heavy weapons in the attack, were forced to flee after the police retaliated.”
While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have frequently targeted security forces and police convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Officials gather evidence following a militant attack on police post in Fateh Khel, on the outskirts of Bannu, on February 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Social Media)
The latest attack came two days after Pakistani security forces killed three militants in KP’s North Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan.
In a separate statement issued on Saturday, the Pakistani military said an Afghan national was among the militants killed in North Waziristan.
“The individual was later identified as Luqman Khan alias Nusrat (Afghan National), Son of Kamal Khan, resident of Spera District, Khost Province, Afghanistan,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Policemen gather following a militant attack on police post in Fateh Khel, on the outskirts of Bannu, on February 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Social Media)
“Interim Afghan Government authorities are being approached to take over the body of the individual, being an Afghan citizen.”
Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militancy on Afghanistan, accusing it of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement and insist that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
