Seven police killed in TTP attack on Hangu checkpoint in northwest Pakistan

At least seven police officers were killed and 25 others wounded when militants attacked a police post in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday. The Hangu attack prompted a large-scale counteroffensive by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.

What happened in the Hangu attack?

Militants attacked a police post in the Khazina Banda area of Hangu district, District Police Officer Habib Khan told Nukta. The dead included Deputy Superintendent of Police Diyar Khan, who was killed while responding to the attack, and 25 other officers were wounded, including DSP Mujahid Khan.

The injured were initially taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Hangu for emergency treatment. Officers in critical condition were later transferred to hospitals in Peshawar for specialized care.

How did security forces respond to the attack?

Security forces launched a counteroffensive immediately after the assault, killing at least five suspected militants, police said. Officials said several other militants were believed to have been killed or wounded, though the figures could not be independently verified.

Intermittent gunfire continued in the area as police, the Counter Terrorism Department and the paramilitary Thall Scouts surrounded the attackers and carried out search and clearance operations. Officials said security forces had been engaged in an intense operation for about four hours after the assault, with fears that additional personnel had been killed or wounded as fighting continued.

Police said the attackers used heavy weapons and a quadcopter drone during the assault, causing further damage to police positions and adding to the casualties.

Who claimed responsibility for the Hangu attack?

The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said its fighters destroyed three security vehicles, seized another during the clashes, and captured seven police personnel alive, though those claims could not be independently verified.

Why does Hangu keep facing militant attacks?

Hangu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has long been one of Pakistan's most volatile districts because of its proximity to the former tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. The district has repeatedly been targeted by the TTP and other militant groups attacking security forces, government officials and civilians.

Bordering North Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai districts, Hangu has remained a strategic transit and operating area for militants despite years of military offensives and intelligence-based operations. Militant violence has resurged across Pakistan since 2021, with Hangu again emerging as a major flashpoint in the country's campaign against the TTP.