Two policemen were martyred, and three others sustained injuries early Tuesday when terrorists attacked a police checkpost in the Gunangar area of Shangla district’s Chakesar Tehsil, officials confirmed.
The attack occurred in the remote Gunangar area near the Karakoram Highway and the Indus River. Umar Rehman, spokesperson for the Shangla district police officer (DPO), stated that the checkpost came under heavy fire, with terrorists using rocket launchers and hand grenades. The explosion caused the walls of the small checkpost building to collapse, burying one constable beneath the debris.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohammad Hassan from Alpuri and Head Constable Nisar Ahmad were martyred in the attack, while three constables sustained injuries. Locals and police personnel from Dandai police station transported the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital in Battagram for treatment.
This incident marks the second attack in Shangla within three days. On Saturday, terrorists targeted another checkpost in Puran Tehsil, resulting in the death of a civilian and injuries to two police personnel.
Following Tuesday’s attack, the area was cordoned off, and a search operation was launched with additional police contingents called to reinforce security.
The assault is part of a concerning surge in terrorist attacks targeting law enforcement agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan since the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022. According to the Ministry of Interior, KP has borne the brunt of these attacks, reporting 948 out of 1,566 terrorism incidents nationwide in the last 10 months, leading to 583 deaths.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred policemen. Expressing his grief over the loss of lives, he prayed for the swift recovery of the injured personnel.
“The martyrs are our pride. We are standing tall with their families,” Naqvi said in his statement, acknowledging the sacrifices of the KP police in the ongoing war against terrorism. He emphasized that the province’s police force has played a leading role in combating terrorism and their sacrifices will not be forgotten.
The uptick in terrorist activities has raised alarm regarding the region’s security situation, particularly in KP’s remote districts.
