Three police officers martyred in Karak checkpost attack

At least three police officers were martyred in a gun attack on a police checkpost in Karak during the early hours of Thursday, police said.

The assault took place in Karak district’s Bahadur Khel area, where militants opened fire on a police post using heavy weapons, according to law enforcement sources.

The attack sparked a prolonged exchange of gunfire before the assailants fled. Police reinforcements and emergency responders arrived at the scene shortly after the attack.

The bodies of the slain officers and the injured personnel were transported to the district headquarters hospital.

The provincial police chief, Zulfiqar Hamid, visited the area to review the situation and issued directives for a security operation in response to the assault.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, with security forces often targeted in similar strikes.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act” and paid tribute to the slain officers.

He assured that the government would not allow militants to destabilise the region.

K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also expressed condolences to the families of the fallen officers, pledging state support for them. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating terrorism.

Pakistan’s security forces have been engaged in counterterrorism operations across the northwest as militant activity has intensified, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Last week, in a series of counterterrorism operations in Balochistan, security forces and law enforcement agencies had killed 23 terrorists in 24 hours, foiling terrorist attempts to disrupt the peace in the region.

18 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the operations, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The statement said that on the night of January 31 to February 1, terrorists attempted to establish roadblocks in the Mangocher area of Kalat District. The terrorist carried out an attack "on behest of inimical and hostile forces," that was "aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment of Balochistan by targeting mainly the innocent civilians."