ISLAMABAD; At least five police personnel were martyred and eight others injured in a series of late-night militant attacks on police checkpoints and stations in multiple districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including Peshawar, Upper Dir, and Lower Dir, officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to police statements, the deadliest incident occurred in Upper Dir, where terrorists ambushed a police mobile, killing three officers and injuring six others. The injured were shifted to nearby medical facilities, while a search operation was launched to track the assailants.
In Lower Dir, District Police Officer Abdul Salam Khalid reported two separate assaults on checkpoints in the Maidan, Lajbok, and Shadas areas. One officer, Constable Sanaullah, was martyred, while another, Sultan Zareen, sustained injuries.
Peshawar also saw multiple attacks. Militants targeted police checkpoints in Matni and Nasir Bagh, as well as the Hassan Khel police station. Constable Jahangir Khan lost his life in the Hassan Khel assault, while another officer was injured. Police said the Matni and Nasir Bagh attacks were repelled after an exchange of fire, forcing the attackers to retreat. Officials identified the perpetrators as members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to in state terminology as “Fitna-ul-Khawarij.”
Elsewhere in KP, Bannu police foiled two RPG-7 rocket attacks on checkpoints in Miryan and Mazanga. In Shangla, a police post also came under fire but was defended successfully, with no casualties reported.
KP police said in a press release that most attacks were thwarted due to “timely action and bravery” by law enforcement. The Inspector General of Police, Zulfiqar Hameed, praised the professionalism of officers, noting that security forces had prevented 80% of planned assaults but acknowledged casualties in two incidents. He alleged the attacks were aimed at disrupting Pakistan’s August 14 Independence Day celebrations.
Funeral prayers were held in Peshawar for Constable Jahangir Khan at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines, attended by senior police officials, including IG Hameed and CCPO Qasim Ali Khan, who assured the family that his sacrifice would be honoured. In Upper Dir, funeral prayers were offered for the three martyred officers, with KP’s police chief in attendance.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly condemned the attacks, calling them “cowardly acts” intended to undermine morale. He vowed unwavering support for the families of the fallen, stressing that the sacrifices of KP Police would be remembered in history.
The assaults come amid a resurgence in militant activity across KP and Balochistan, particularly after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Districts including Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bajaur, and Peshawar have witnessed repeated strikes on police and security installations in recent months.
Earlier this month, one policeman was killed and three injured in Bannu, while a quadcopter attack on Miryan police station injured six officers during counterterrorism operations in Nurar. In response to the escalating threat, security forces have intensified operations against militant hideouts across the province.
