BANNU (MNN); A police head constable was martyred and three personnel injured when militants attacked a police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Saturday, officials said.
According to police, the attack occurred in the Sheikhan Mama Khel area within the limits of Haved Police Station. Militants opened sudden fire on a police party on routine patrol, resulting in the martyrdom of Head Constable Dilnawaz Khan.
Police returned fire effectively, killing two militants and injuring several others. The attackers later set the police vehicle ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan confirmed the deaths of two attackers and said around four others were injured. Security forces recovered two motorcycles used by the militants, while a search operation is underway in the area. The RPO also visited the hospital to inquire after the injured personnel.
In a separate incident, police in Bannu’s Wazir tehsil repelled another militant attack near the under-construction circular road in the Khara Ghora area. The Ahmadzai Police responded promptly, forcing the attackers to flee, with reports suggesting some militants were injured.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a surge in militant violence over the past year. According to a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, fatalities in the province rose sharply from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.
Recent incidents include the martyrdom of a lieutenant colonel and a sepoy in a suicide attack on February 21 during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu. On March 13, militants attacked a checkpost in Bakakhel, injuring a police constable, while one attacker was killed in retaliation.
Earlier this week, a bomb explosion partially damaged a vacant police post in Domel, while unidentified miscreants blew up a government school in Ghora village.
In response to rising threats, security forces have intensified counter-terrorism operations across the province, killing 13 militants in multiple operations earlier this month, including one encounter in Bannu.
