Militant Attack on Pakistani Police Training Center Leaves 13 Dead in Intense Gunfight
Seven police officers and six militants dead after prolonged gun battle.
A police training center in Ratta Kulachi, near Dera Ismail Khan in northwest Pakistan, was targeted in a deadly assault, resulting in the deaths of seven police officers and six militants. The attack began with a suicide bomber detonating an explosives-laden truck at the facility’s gate, collapsing part of the boundary wall and enabling heavily armed militants to storm the compound. The ensuing six-hour gunfight saw security forces thwart a potentially catastrophic assault, though at a heavy cost, with 13 officers injured.
The attackers, wielding automatic weapons and grenades, engaged approximately 200 recruits and trainers inside the facility. Police and paramilitary units responded decisively, neutralizing six militants and recovering suicide vests, explosives, and ammunition. Dera Ismail Khan police chief Sajjad Ahmad described the coordinated assault as an attempt to inflict mass casualties, praising the bravery of officers who returned fire to protect the facility. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi lauded the fallen officers for their sacrifice.
The attack underscores the deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a region plagued by militant groups. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) initially claimed responsibility but later retracted the statement, leaving the perpetrators’ identity unclear. The TTP, allied with but distinct from the Afghan Taliban, has been linked to rising violence since the latter’s 2021 takeover in Afghanistan. Pakistani army spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry noted that over 10,000 counterterrorism operations in 2025 alone have resulted in 970 militants killed, but at the cost of 311 soldiers and 73 police officers.
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This latest assault highlights Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to curb militancy in its northwestern border regions. With terrorism surging since 2021, particularly in areas like Dera Ismail Khan, the government faces mounting pressure to strengthen security measures and address the root causes of instability in this volatile region.
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