A terrorist attack on the Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ended after a six-hour-long operation by security forces. According to officials, six attackers were killed, while seven police personnel were martyred during the exchange of fire.
The attack took place in the Ratta Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan, where heavily armed militants attempted to storm the police training centre around 9 p.m. Local sources said the attackers rammed a truck filled with explosives into the school’s main gate, causing part of the wall to collapse and killing a police officer on duty. After the explosion, the assailants — dressed in mixed uniforms — entered the compound and started indiscriminate firing. Another officer was also killed in a grenade blast. Intense gunfire between police and militants continued for several hours, during which the attackers repeatedly used grenades.
According to police, after a joint six-hour operation involving police and security forces, all six militants were neutralized. Authorities recovered suicide vests, explosives, and ammunition from the site. Thirteen other people were injured and were immediately taken to hospital for medical treatment. Around 200 trainees and staff members inside the training facility were safely rescued, preventing a potential large-scale tragedy.
District Police Officer (DPO) Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed confirmed that the area has been cleared, but a search and clearance operation is still underway.
Meanwhile, Islamabad-based media monitoring group The Khorasan Diary reported that social media accounts linked to the militant organization Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the attack.
It is worth mentioning that, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a Pakistan Army officer was martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday, in which seven India-backed terrorists were killed. The IBO was conducted on October 8 in the Daraban area following reports of militant presence.
During the intense exchange of fire, Major Sibtain Haider, who was bravely leading his troops, embraced martyrdom while fighting for the country.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reaffirmed the renewed commitment of Pakistan’s armed forces to eliminate terrorism from its roots and dismantle the political-criminal nexus, which he said was responsible for the recent rise in militant incidents in the province.
Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Corps Headquarters on Friday, General Chaudhry said that after the 2014 Army Public School (APS) tragedy, all political leaders had agreed on a unified strategy through the National Action Plan (NAP). However, he noted that successive governments failed to maintain continuity in implementing the plan.
He added that although the current government has renamed the revised plan as “Azm-e-Istahkam,” the implementation of its 14 key points still remains incomplete.
Director General Chaudhry reiterated the armed forces’ resolve to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and paid tribute to the security personnel and civilians who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
Later, the ISPR chief revealed that terrorists and their facilitators were deliberately given space in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under a planned strategy, which, he said, intentionally weakened governance and public welfare in the province.
