Peshawar: A deadly militant attack on a police checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed at least 12 officers and injured five others, officials said on Sunday.

The incident took place in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, where attackers launched a coordinated assault involving a suicide car bombing followed by an armed raid on the security post.

“Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post,” Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan told AFP.

Officials said the blast was immediately followed by gunfire as militants stormed the checkpoint and opened fire on personnel stationed there. At least 12 police officers were confirmed dead, with one more reported missing.

A senior administrative official in Bannu said the attackers used additional equipment during the assault. “During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He also added that the attackers managed to retreat after taking police personnel and weapons from the site.

Security sources described the attack as highly coordinated, involving both explosives and advanced tactics, including the reported use of small drones. The region has witnessed a rise in militant activity in recent years, particularly in border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Authorities have launched search operations in the area and stepped up security measures following the attack.

The incident comes amid ongoing instability in Pakistan’s border regions, where security forces continue to face repeated assaults on checkpoints and patrol units.
(With AFP inputs)