PESHAWAR, Feb 8: Two policemen were killed defending a check post that came under terror attack twice in the last 48 hours in northwest Pakistan, senior officials said on Saturday.
The attackers stormed the Fateh Khan police post check in Bannu area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Friday night when the two policemen lost their lives, District Police Officer (DPO) there confirmed.
It was the second attack in as many days, however, the first attack on the same post was successfully repelled by the security personnel through swift retaliation.
However, in both cases, the assailants fled from the scene, the officer said.
Authorities have heightened security in the area, and a search operation has been launched to track down the attackers, he added.
Meanwhile, a terrorist killed in a recent security operation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was identified as an Afghan national, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.
The individual identified as Luqman Khan, alias Nusrat, and a resident of Spera district, Khost province, Afghanistan, was eliminated by the security forces in an operation on February 6, ISPR, the military’s media wing said.
The Interim Afghan government was being approached to take his body back, it added.
“Such incidents are irrefutable evidence of involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities in Pakistan. Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR added.
As per ISPR, the body of Afghan national Muhammad Khan Ahmedkhel, 48, who was killed on January 11 in the Sambaza area of Balochistan’s Zhob, was handed over to the Afghan counterparts last month itself.
In another incident, at least three terrorists were killed a day earlier during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Datta Khel area.
The military’s media wing said that the terrorists were attempting to escape wearing women’s attire (burqa) when they were engaged by security forces.
The security operations are part of a sustained effort as the country witnessed a surge in violent attacks — particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan — since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants.
Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants while the tribal districts (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.
Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.
The month also saw two suicide bombings, both in Baluchistan. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for one, while the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army took credit for the other. (PTI)
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