Six Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were injured in a “terrorist attack” at a checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district on Wednesday, a police spokesperson said.
Bannu Police spokesperson Aamir Khan told Dawn.com: “Terrorists attacked a Frontier Constabulary checkpoint situated in the border area of Takhti Khel Wazir in Bannu.
“As a result of the attack, six personnel of the FC were injured, but the immediate response of the constabulary forced the terrorists to flee.”
Over a week ago, President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated an ordinance empowering the federal government to transform the FC, a border security force, into the Federal Constabulary.
Aamir added that the injured constables have been taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Bannu for treatment.
“Police teams have been sent to the area and have begun a search operation to track down the terrorists,” he said.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, especially in KP and Balochistan, predominantly targeting the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel, and security forces.
Attacks increased after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.
Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks, particularly targeting police personnel in Bannu this month.
A day ago, a police official identified as Constable Hayatullah was martyred when terrorists attacked him in the district while he was returning home from duty.
On July 21, over a dozen terrorists attacked a police station in the Bakkakhel town of Bannu. However, the cops responded effectively and thwarted their nefarious plan to take over the building. The police also thwarted a sabotage bid by defusing explosives in the Ghoriwala town of Bannu. An official said the explosives were seized during an intelligence-based operation in the area.
On July 19, two police officials, including an officer, were injured when terrorists carried out a quadcopter attack on Bannu’s Miryan police station.