At least three Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and 17 others sustained injuries on Monday after terrorists launched a deadly assault on an FC fort in the Torawari area of Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Operations Asad Zubair, FC troops and police retaliated swiftly, forcing the militants to flee. The injured were shifted to Doaba Hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment.
District Police Officer (DPO) Hangu Khalid Khan later confirmed that security forces killed at least five militants, including a local facilitator, during a counter-operation. “The joint action of FC and police is ongoing and will continue until all threats are eliminated,” he added.
Following the attack, the area was sealed off as law enforcement agencies launched a search operation to track down fleeing assailants. Security forces also intensified patrols and cordoned off sensitive installations to prevent further militant activity.
The incident underscores the growing wave of terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share porous borders with Afghanistan. A recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) revealed that the country suffered 78 terrorist attacks in June alone, resulting in 100 deaths — including 53 security personnel — and leaving nearly 190 others injured.
Earlier this month, security forces also eliminated 47 Indian-backed militants attempting to infiltrate from Afghanistan into Balochistan’s Zhob district, reflecting the increasing cross-border nature of such attacks.
Officials have vowed that the Hangu assault will not deter Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism. “Our soldiers’ sacrifices will not go in vain. This attack only strengthens our commitment to defending the nation,” a senior security official said.