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At least seven police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were killed and 22 others injured in an armed attack on a police checkpoint in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.
The attack took place at the Khazina Banda police checkpoint in Hangu district on Wednesday, according to District Police Officer Tariq Habib. The officer confirmed that DSP Mujahid Hussain was among those killed in the assault.
Police exchanged fire with the attackers following the attack, killing at least eight militants and injuring six others. A security operation against the attackers is still underway in the area.
The attack comes amid a sharp rise in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to take action against armed groups operating near the border.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to prevent cross-border militant attacks and said it launched Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq in February in response to such threats.
Earlier, Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), claimed that 32 militants allegedly backed by India were killed during security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the previous 24 hours.
A report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said the two provinces remained the main centres of violence during the second quarter of 2026, accounting for nearly 96% of all conflict-related deaths in Pakistan.
According to the report, 475 people were killed in violent incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 265 in Balochistan during the period.
The provinces also recorded 151 and 94 violent incidents respectively, highlighting growing security challenges in the country.