PESHAWAR – The police killed four suspected terrorists after successfully repelling an armed assault on the Kingar Pul checkpoint in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), while a subsequent search operation led to the recovery of weapons, ammunition and hand grenades.
The Bannu police said that the heavily armed militants launched the attack on the checkpoint shortly before midnight on Friday. Police personnel stationed at the post responded immediately, engaging the attackers and successfully preventing them from carrying out their assault.
Reinforcement teams, including the Quick Response Force (QRF), Rapid Response Force (RRF) and additional personnel from Bannu Police Lines, rushed to the location following reports of the incident and sealed off the surrounding area.
Police subsequently launched a clearance and search operation, recovering the bodies of four attackers along with four Kalashnikov rifles, multiple magazines, a substantial quantity of ammunition, hand grenades and bandoliers. Authorities said efforts to establish the identities of the deceased were underway.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed commended the Bannu police for thwarting the assault, attributing the attack to militants associated with Fitna al-Khawarij, the official designation used by the state for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He said the attackers had attempted to exploit darkness to target the checkpoint but encountered a strong response from vigilant and professionally trained police personnel.
The provincial police chief described the successful defence of the post as a source of pride and said operations were continuing under a comprehensive strategy to eradicate terrorism from the region.
He reaffirmed that safeguarding citizens’ lives and property remained the foremost responsibility of the police, adding that the public stood firmly with law enforcement agencies.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised K-P police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) for repelling the attack and killing four militants.
In his statement, the minister lauded the courage, operational skills and determination demonstrated by the personnel, saying their response reflected their commitment to maintaining peace in the province.
The development comes a day after the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reported that security forces had eliminated 74 terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations across K-P and Balochistan over a 48-hour period.
According to the ISPR, 43 militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij were killed during operations in Mir Ali and Orakzai, while another 31 militants described as Indian-sponsored terrorists were eliminated in Balochistan.
