PESHAWAR: Three Pakistani policemen were killed on Thursday when militants attacked a security checkpoint in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), officials said, the latest in a surge of violence targeting law enforcement in the country’s northwest.
The attack came just three days after suicide bombers stormed the headquarters of the Frontier Constabulary, a paramilitary force, in Peshawar on Monday, killing three personnel and injuring more than five. The back-to-back assaults underscore deteriorating security conditions in KP, which has faced a sharp escalation in militant activity over the past two years.
Much of the violence has been claimed or linked to the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and its splinter factions. The group regrouped after a fragile ceasefire between the TTP and the Pakistani state collapsed in November 2022, leading to a renewed wave of attacks on police, military, and government targets across the province.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned Thursday’s attack and directed a rapid security response.
“Terrorists have no religion; such cowardly attacks cannot weaken our resolve,” Afridi said. “The fight against terrorism will continue with even stronger determination.”
Afridi ordered additional forces to be deployed to Hangu, instructed authorities to provide the “best possible medical care” to the injured, and sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief.
The assault, which no group has claimed as yet, adds to a string of recent attacks in Hangu. Earlier in November, three policemen were wounded when an improvised explosive device struck a police convoy in the district.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan of allowing TTP militants to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul rejects. Security officials say the militants exploit the mountainous border region, where Pakistan has struggled to maintain control despite intensified counterterrorism operations.
The uptick in attacks marks one of the most serious security challenges facing Pakistan’s government, with KP police bearing the brunt of targeted killings, ambushes, and bombings that have strained already overstretched law enforcement resources.
