Six Police Personnel Injured in Militant Attack in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Six police personnel, including a senior officer, were injured on Saturday when gunmen opened fire on police vehicles in Pakistan’s northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district, prompting security forces to cordon off the area and launch a search operation.
Regional Police Officer Ghulam Mubashir Makin said the attack occurred near Al-Amin Farmhouse, within the jurisdiction of Hathala police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the police account, the sudden firing caused the vehicle carrying the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kalaachi to lose control, leave the road and overturn.
The Express Tribune identified the six injured personnel as the DSP, Assistant Sub-Inspector Nauman Khan, Constable Qasim, gunman Ghulam Saeed, Constable Hashim and Lady Constable Amber Altash.
Injured Taken to DI Khan Hospital
The injured officers and personnel were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan for medical treatment, according to RPO Makin.
A large police contingent was deployed to the scene after authorities received information about the attack, while additional personnel were dispatched from the Ejaz Shaheed Police Lines.
Police cordoned off the surrounding area and launched an operation to locate those responsible. No group had immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, according to separate reporting by Arab News.
Police Vehicle Overturns During Attack
Accounts of the incident indicate that the police vehicle overturned during the armed confrontation.
Dawn, citing the district police spokesperson, reported that a police party led by DSP Kefayat was travelling through the Hathala area when attackers opened fire near Pota and Al-Amin Farm House. Police returned fire, resulting in an exchange between the two sides.
Dawn reported four injured police officers, while The Express Tribune reported six injured personnel. Another local report put the number at five.
The differing early casualty figures are significant because the incident is still developing. This report uses the latest figure of six provided by RPO Ghulam Mubashir Makin to The Express Tribune, while noting that other contemporary reports carried lower initial totals.
Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmed told Dawn that the injured personnel were out of danger in the earlier police assessment.
Senior Police Officers Visit Injured
RPO Makin and DPO Ahmed later visited the injured personnel at the hospital and received briefings from doctors about their condition and treatment.
Makin directed the hospital administration to provide the injured personnel with the best available medical care, according to The Express Tribune. He also provided financial assistance during the visit.
The RPO praised police personnel for continuing frontline duties against militant violence and said the force would continue efforts to protect residents and counter threats to security.
Search Operation Launched
Security personnel intensified their presence in the area following the attack.
The immediate objective of the operation was to trace the assailants, who were not reported captured in the initial accounts.
No confirmed number of attackers has been publicly established in the reports reviewed, and there was no immediate authoritative announcement identifying the group responsible.
For that reason, the assailants should not be attributed to a specific militant organisation until police, counterterrorism authorities or another credible source establishes responsibility.
DI Khan Faces Persistent Security Threats
Dera Ismail Khan, located in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near areas bordering Afghanistan, has faced repeated militant attacks targeting police and other security personnel.
Saturday’s incident comes against a broader backdrop of heightened violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to data cited by Dawn from the Centre for Research and Security Studies, fatalities linked to violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025, an increase of nearly 44%.
The latest attack again highlights the security pressures faced by police operating in the province’s southern districts, where personnel frequently conduct patrols, raids and counterterrorism operations.
Authorities had not announced any arrests in connection with Saturday’s attack at the time of the latest reports.
