PESHAWAR – Two police personnel and a security guard were martyred in separate firing incidents in Bannu on Monday, authorities told The Express Tribune. The attacks, which occurred within hours of each other, have prompted a comprehensive search and checkpoint operation across the district as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continues to grapple with a surge in terrorist violence.
The first attack occurred outside a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in the Baka Khel area, where armed gunmen opened fire on security staff. Two officers, Constable Rafiullah and security guard Gul Shah Noor, were killed at the scene. A heavy police contingent arrived shortly after the incident, but the attackers managed to flee. The officers’ bodies were transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu for post-mortem examination.
In a separate incident near the Miryan Kinger police station, another police constable, Sher Muhammad, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
Search Operations Underway
Authorities have launched a comprehensive search and checkpoint operation across the district in response to the attacks. Police are conducting door-to-door searches in suspected areas and have increased patrols along key routes. Checkpoints have been established at all major entry and exit points to Bannu.
Condemnation from Leadership
Condemning the incidents, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi paid tribute to the victims, stating that “the people of the province share the grief of the martyrs’ families.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also strongly condemned the attacks. “Guard Gul Shah Noor and Constable Rafiullah attained the great status of martyrdom while performing their duty,” he said, adding that “by sacrificing their lives in the line of duty, both personnel set a high example of bravery.”
Recent Attacks in Bannu
The Monday attacks follow a series of terrorist incidents in Bannu and surrounding areas. On Friday, five people, including women and a child, were martyred and several others injured, including at least one police officer, in a suicide attack targeting the Domel Police Station in Bannu.
Initial reports suggest that terrorists attempted to ram a car laden with approximately 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms of explosives into the wall of the Domel police station. After failing to breach the wall, they detonated the explosives in a nearby civilian area. Authorities said effective defensive measures prevented the attacker from breaching the police station, but the explosion in the nearby civilian area resulted in civilian casualties.
Last week, seven people, including three police personnel, were injured in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Sarai Naurang area of Lakki Marwat, targeting a police vehicle near a vegetable market.
Surge in KP Violence
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been battling terrorism since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, with terrorists often crossing the border to target police convoys and vehicles, resulting in the deaths of several officials and personnel. The province has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, accounting for the highest number of incidents in the country.
Out of a total of 5,397 reported incidents last year, KP recorded 3,811, followed by Balochistan with 1,557 incidents. Only 29 incidents were reported from the rest of the country. A total of 2,597 terrorists were killed during the year.
Last month, at least seven police personnel, including the station house officer of Shadi Khel Police Station, were martyred in an IED explosion near a police mobile in Lakki Marwat. A week before that, two policemen were killed and 15 people, including five police personnel, were injured in an IED blast in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana in Lower South Waziristan.
Cross-Border Concerns
Pakistani officials have repeatedly raised concerns about the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to launch attacks inside Pakistan. The government has called on the Afghan Taliban regime to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan, but attacks have continued.
A Province Under Siege
The martyrdom of two police constables and a security guard in Bannu on Monday adds to the growing toll of law enforcement personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The province has become the epicenter of Pakistan’s terrorism challenge, accounting for more than 70 percent of all reported incidents last year.
The pattern of attacks—targeting police stations, checkpoints, and security personnel—suggests a deliberate strategy to undermine law enforcement and create a climate of fear. The use of large vehicle-borne explosives, as seen in Friday’s attack on Domel Police Station, indicates that terrorist groups retain significant operational capacity and access to explosives.
For the police force in KP, already stretched thin by the scale of the challenge, each attack represents a loss of trained personnel that is difficult to replace. For the families of Constable Rafiullah, Constable Sher Muhammad, and security guard Gul Shah Noor, the loss is irreplaceable.
As search operations continue across Bannu district, the focus will be on apprehending those responsible for Monday’s attacks and preventing further violence. But as long as terrorist groups retain sanctuaries across the border and the capacity to launch attacks, the people of KP will continue to pay the price.
