A police officer was killed, and three others were wounded in an attack on a police patrol in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.
The attack took place in the Zargar Mamakhel area, where militants targeted a patrol vehicle and set it on fire, according to police.
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said Assistant Sub-Inspector Dil Nawaz Khan was killed in the attack, while three officers were injured and shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Police responded quickly, killing two militants and wounding four others during the exchange of fire, Khan said.
He added that security forces had cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Two motorcycles believed to have been used by the attackers were recovered at the scene.
Khan said the militants would be pursued and denied safe haven, adding that such attacks would not weaken the resolve of the police.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi sought a report from the provincial police chief and condemned the attack, calling the loss of life deeply regrettable.
“Cowardly acts of terrorists cannot dampen our morale,” he said in a statement.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also denounced the assault, saying the sacrifices of police personnel in the fight against militancy would not go in vain.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, militant organizations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other factions, remain active in the region and frequently target security forces.
Bannu, near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan and the former tribal areas, has long faced security challenges due to militant activity.
Despite ongoing counterterrorism efforts, armed groups continue to exploit the area’s difficult terrain and security gaps.
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