DSP among 10 personnel martyred in attack on checkpost in KP's Hangu: police

Hangu (Web Desk): At least ten police officials, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred when heavily armed terrorists stormed the Khazina Banda police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu district on Wednesday, District Police Officer (DPO) Tariq Habib confirmed.

The DPO said the attack also injured 32 police personnel, including DSP Mujahid Hussain, as security forces engaged the assailants in an intense gun battle.

During the retaliatory operation, police killed 15 terrorists and wounded several others, the DPO said, adding that a clearance operation was still in progress to ensure the area was fully secured.

The deadly assault comes amid a persistent rise in terrorist violence across Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban-led government in Kabul to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks across the border.

After accusing Kabul of failing to curb such activities, Islamabad initiated Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year in response to cross-border terrorist incursions.

The incident took place just hours after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that security forces had eliminated 32 India-backed terrorists during separate operations carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the previous 24 hours.

According to a recent report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remained the country's most violence-hit provinces during the second quarter of 2026.

The report found that the two provinces together accounted for nearly 96% of all conflict-related deaths nationwide. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded more than 61% of the fatalities, with 475 deaths, while Balochistan accounted for 34%, or 265 deaths.

The study also showed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported the highest number of violent incidents during the quarter, with 151 cases representing 57% of the national total. Balochistan followed with 94 incidents, making up 35% of all reported acts of violence.