Shafaq News- Islamabad

A coordinated militant assault involving a car bombing and ambush killed at least 12 police officers in northwestern Pakistan, police said on Sunday.

Cited by Pakistani media, police clarified that militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police outpost in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province before storming the compound and opening fire. Three surviving personnel were rescued and transferred to hospital.

Militants later ambushed reinforcements sent to the scene, while drones were also reportedly used in the assault. Images from the site showed the outpost destroyed, with burned vehicles and debris scattered across the area.

The militant alliance Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. The alliance emerged in 2025 as a coalition of militant factions operating in Pakistan’s northwest, including the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and Lashkar-e-Islam, amid a broader resurgence in militancy along the Afghanistan border.

Violence has remained concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which accounted for more than 90% of militant incidents and fatalities in 2025, according to Pakistani security assessments cited by local outlets. Militants have also expanded tactics in recent years to include suicide bombings, coordinated ambushes, improvised explosive devices, and drone-assisted attacks.