A cop was martyred while a Frontier Constabulary (FC) official was injured when a police checkpoint came under attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district, police said on Monday.

Recently, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have witnessed terrorist attacks, particularly targeting police personnel.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Kohat District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Zahidullah Khan said that a “large number of miscreants” had attacked a checkpoint in Kohat’s Darra Adamkhel from “multiple sides” at 1am.

He said that an exchange of fire then took place between the police and the unidentified assailants, which claimed the life of one cop and left an FC official injured. He said that the exchange of fire went on for two-and-a-half hours.

“The unidentified assailants aimed to capture the checkpoint, but their attempt was thwarted,” he said, adding that a search operation was currently underway.

“Three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been recovered so far during the clearance operation,” the DPO said.

Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred cop. In a statement, he also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“The sacrifices of the police in the war against terrorism will not go in vain,” he added.

The attack comes a day after a soldier was martyred and another injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on them near KP’s Bannu district.

On Sept 1, a police constable embra­ced martyrdom and ano­t­her sustained serious injuries in an attack on a police post in Mir Ali.

Pakistan 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 and vowed to target security forces, the police, and other law enforcement agencies.

According to a Dawn report, KP remained the most affected province last month, but also witnessed intensified counterterrorism actions. The province reported 45 attacks that killed 54 people and injured 49.