Militant Attack on Pakistan Police Post Kills 10–11 Officers, 15 Attackers

A coordinated militant assault on the Khazina Banda police post in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed between 10 and 11 police officers and 15 attackers in an hours-long gunbattle late Wednesday, July 29, 2026. According to police statements, attackers used explosive-laden drones (quadcopters) and heavy weapons to initiate the raid near the Afghan border. Reinforcements dispatched to the scene were ambushed en route; the ambush damaged an armored personnel carrier and resulted in three police vehicles being set alight, while a fourth was taken by attackers. Among those killed was Deputy Superintendent Diyar Khan, who led the reinforcement contingent. More than two dozen police officers were also wounded.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Pakistan Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP) is considered the primary suspect, given recent escalation of militant operations in the region and the group's claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the nearby Tank district days earlier, which killed 15 people including 12 Pakistani army soldiers.

The incident reflects a sharp rise in militant violence targeting Pakistani security forces along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in recent months, following an armed conflict between the two countries in February that resulted in hundreds of deaths. Pakistan's government has stated that militants use safe havens in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks; Afghanistan's Taliban government has denied providing sanctuary and characterized the violence as Pakistan's domestic problem. Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed praised the officers' response and stated that operations against militants would continue across the province. The escalation in cross-border attacks has raised concerns about renewed conflict between the neighboring countries.