At least seven police officers, among them a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), lost their lives following a militant assault on the Khazina Banda police checkpost in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. District Police Officer Tariq Habib confirmed the casualties on Wednesday.
In addition to the fatalities, 22 police personnel, including DSP Mujahid Hussain, sustained injuries during the attack. Security forces responded with retaliatory fire, killing eight terrorists and injuring six others. A clearance operation to eliminate remaining militants in the area is currently ongoing.
Since 2021, Pakistan has experienced a rise in terrorist activities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, following the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban administration to control terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. After Kabul failed to meet these demands, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year, targeting cross-border militant attacks.
The recent attack occurred just hours after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that security forces had neutralized 32 India-backed terrorists during operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the previous 24 hours.
A report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) highlighted that KP and Balochistan remain the primary hotspots for violence. During the second quarter of 2026, these two provinces accounted for nearly 96% of all fatalities linked to violence, with KP alone recording over 61% (475 deaths) and Balochistan 34% (265 deaths).
Furthermore, KP experienced the highest number of violent incidents in the same period, with 151 cases (57%), followed by Balochistan with 94 incidents (35%), representing the majority of reported violence nationwide.
