Four policemen injured in D.I. Khan terror attack

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four policemen were injured on Saturday when terrorists opened fire on a police team in the Hathala area of Dera Ismail Khan district, police officials said.

According to police, the team was travelling through the area under the command of Deputy Superintendent of Police Kefayat when militants targeted them near Pota and Al-Amin Farm House.

The officers returned fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire between the police and the attackers.

During the confrontation, the police vehicle overturned, resulting in injuries to several personnel. District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmed confirmed that four policemen were wounded, including one who suffered a bullet injury.

The injured officers were shifted for medical treatment. Police said their condition was stable and they were out of danger.

Following the attack, a large contingent of police personnel from Ijaz Shaheed Police Lines reached the area. Security forces cordoned off the surrounding locality and launched a search operation to trace the attackers.

Authorities were conducting searches in the area and checking possible routes used by the militants to escape.

The incident comes amid continued security challenges in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where militant violence has increased significantly in recent years.

Earlier this month, a suicide attack near Kabal Police Station in Swat killed at least 14 people and left 18 others injured.

Security data has also highlighted the growing scale of violence in the province. A 2025 annual security assessment by the Centre for Research and Security Studies reported that fatalities linked to violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa increased from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.

The rise represented an increase of 711 deaths in a single year, making Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa one of the areas most severely affected by the country’s worsening security situation.

Police and security agencies have intensified operations across affected districts in an effort to prevent further attacks and track militant networks operating in the region.