Taliban fighters storm police training center in Pakistan, kills 7 officers
- Last updated: October 11, 2025 | 20:39
PESHAWAR: At least seven police officers and six militants were killed after gunmen attacked a police training centre in northwestern Pakistan, triggering a fierce firefight that lasted for hours, officials said on Saturday.
Friday night’s assault targeted a police training facility in Ratta Kulachi, on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) city.
Police said seven cops embraced martyrdom in the strike. The heavily armed attackers, whose number is yet to be determined, stormed the building after setting off an initial explosion, suspected to be a suicide attack, and engaged in a fierce gunfight with the officers inside. A battle that ensued soon turned in the favour of the security personnel as the raiders could not hold out for long and were eventually neutralised, police said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the slain officers for their bravery and sacrifice.
The banned group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, initially claimed responsibility for the assault. It later issued a second statement denying involvement.
Meanwhile, the medical officials at the District Headquarters Hospital reported seven bodies brought in so far. They further added that eleven others were receiving treatment, while one of them remains in critical condition.
Police said the attackers used heavy weapons and tried to force their way into the compound after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden truck at the gate.
"After the initial blast, the attackers managed to storm the facility, where about 200 recruits and their trainers were present,” Dera Ismail Khan police chief Sajjad Ahmad told The Associated Press.
The gun battle between police and militants lasted nearly six hours. Seven police personnel were killed and 13 were injured, Ahmad said.
Assailants launched the coordinated assault using heavy weapons, according to a police statement.
Officers on duty returned fire, thwarting what officials described as an attempt to cause mass casualties. The explosives-packed truck rammed into the training school’s main gate, triggering a blast that collapsed part of a boundary wall, killing a police officer.
Moments later, militants in uniform entered the compound and opened fire with automatic weapons, the statement said.
They hurled grenades and exchanged heavy fire with security forces. Police and paramilitary units later cleared the compound, killing six militants and recovering suicide vests, explosives, weapons, and ammunition, the statement added.
Meanwhile, an army officer embraced martyrdom in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan, during which seven Indian proxy terrorists were eliminated, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The IBO was conducted in the Daraban area on the reported presence of terrorists.
In the pursuing operation featuring heavy exchange of fire, Pakistan Army's Major Sibtain Haider, who was leading his troops from the front, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice. The martyred officer was 30 years old and was a resident of Quetta district.
On Friday, the Pakistani army’s chief spokesman, Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, said "terrorism had surged since 2021,” particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan.
He told reporters at a press conference that Pakistan had carried out thousands of counterterrorism operations in recent years to neutralize the growing militant threat.