At least five cops were martyred and another eight left injured as militants attacked police checkpoints at different locations late at night in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Upper Dir and Lower Dir, police said on Thursday.

Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks on police forces. The country has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

In KP’s Upper Dir, three cops were martyred after their mobile was attacked by terrorists, while another six were injured in the same attack, the police said in a statement.

Police have launched a search operation to find the perpetrators, and the injured were rushed to the nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, in Lower Dir, “two separate terrorist attacks on police checkpoints in the areas of Maidan, Lajbok and Shadas claimed the life of police constable Sanaullah, while Sultan Zareen was injured,” District Police Officer Abdul Salam Khalid said in a statement.

In Peshawar, two separate police checkpoints in the areas of Matni and Nasir Bagh and a police station in Hassan Khel came under fire, leaving one police personnel dead and another injured.

The deceased has been identified as Constable Jahangir Khan, who lost his life in the attack on Hassan Khel police station.

According to a press release issued by the KP police, “the attacks on Matni and Nasir Bagh checkpoints were successfully thwarted”.

“Police and law enforcement agencies retaliated against the attacks,” the statement read, adding that the terrorists retreated after the exchange of fire.

“Elements of Fitna-ul-Khawarij also fired on a police party near Nasir Bagh, which was foiled with timely action,” the statement added, using the state-designated term for TTP.

In Bannu, terrorists attacked two police checkpoints in the area of Miryan and Mazanga by firing an RPG-7 rocket launcher.

The attack was foiled as the police personnel retaliated immediately, the statement said, adding that no personnel were injured.

According to the press release, “terrorist attacks on police posts in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bravely foiled.”

“The terrorists failed in their attacks thanks to the timely action of law enforcement agencies,” the statement highlighted.

Separately, in Shangla district, a police post came under attack; however, the attack was foiled as the police responded immediately, prompting the terrorists to flee.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Sub-divisional police officer Usman Munir said, “The attack was successfully thwarted and no human loss or injury was reported.” He added that a search operation has been launched to look for the terrorists.

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the spate of terrorist attacks in Peshawar, Lower Dir and Upper Dir, expressing sympathies for the martyred policemen.

Calling the attacks “a cowardly act”, Gandapur vowed that such incidents can not be allowed to demoralise the police.

“The sacrifices made by the KP Police will be remembered in history, he said, promising support for the families of the martyred personnel.

The Inspector General of Police, KP, Zulfiqar Hameed, lauded the efforts of the police in foiling the terrorists’ attempts, saying that “our brave soldiers have once again proven that they are always ready to defend KP.”

He added, “The professionalism, bravery and strength exhibited by the officers deserve heartfelt appreciation”.

Speaking to the media, IG KP said, “The enemy carried out these attacks to cast a shadow over 14 August celebrations.”

He added that “we have foiled 80 per cent of the attacks, but sustained damage in two of the attacks.”

Funeral prayers offered for Constable Jahangir Khan

Funeral prayers were offered for Constable Jahangir, who lost his life in an attack on Hassan Khel police station at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Line in Peshawar on Thursday.

The funeral prayers were attended by IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Zulfiqar Hameed, who assured the family that “their sacrifice will not go in vain”.

Others present at the funeral included: CCPO Peshawar Qasim Ali Khan, SSP Khan Zeb Khan, SSP Investigation Noor Jamal, PSO to IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Imran Khan, SP Security Mujeeb-ur-Rehman.

In Upper Dir, funeral prayers were offered for three policemen martyred in the attacks last night. KP IG was also in attendance at the funeral.

On August 3, a terrorist attack on a checkpoint in KP’s Bannu district left one cop dead while three other policemen were injured.

While in a separate incident on August 1, at least six law enforcement personnel were injured in a quadcopter attack on Miryan police station in Bannu amid an ongoing operation against terrorists in the Nurar area.

Faced with increasing attacks by militants, security forces have also intensified counterterrorism operations in KP and Balochistan.