DSP Among Five Police Injured in Dera Ismail Khan Terror Attack
At least five police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured on Saturday when armed attackers opened fire on a police party near Hathala on Tank Road in Dera Ismail Khan, according to police. The attack triggered an exchange of fire and prompted security forces to cordon off the area and begin a search for those responsible.
Police said the team was travelling in the Hathala area as part of an operation when it came under fire. Deputy Superintendent of Police Kifayatullah Marwat was among the officers travelling with personnel associated with Hathala police station when the attackers struck near the Tank Road corridor. Police returned fire, and one of their vehicles overturned during the confrontation, contributing to injuries among the personnel.
The wounded officers were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan for treatment. A separate report by Tribal News Network identified the injured as DSP Kifayatullah Marwat, Assistant Sub-Inspector Muhammad Nauman, ex-serviceman Ghulam Hashim, Ghulam Saeed and Lady Constable Amber. Police subsequently reinforced security around the area and deployed additional personnel from Ijaz Shaheed Police Lines.
Initial reports differed slightly over the number of personnel injured. Dunya News and Tribal News Network reported five wounded officers, while The Express Tribune cited Regional Police Officer Ghulam Mubashir Makin as saying six personnel, including a DSP and a station house officer, had been injured. Authorities had not immediately issued a detailed consolidated casualty statement resolving the discrepancy at the time of the latest reports.
The incident occurred in a part of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where police and other security personnel have repeatedly faced militant violence. Dera Ismail Khan and neighbouring districts sit along routes connecting settled areas of the province with former tribal regions, making police patrols, checkpoints and operational teams recurring targets in the wider security challenge confronting Pakistan.
No group had publicly claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack in the initial reporting, and police had not announced any arrests. The immediate official response centred on securing the attack site, treating the injured personnel and launching a search operation aimed at locating the assailants. Investigators are also expected to examine the sequence of the firefight and the circumstances in which the police vehicle overturned.
The attack adds to pressure on law-enforcement agencies operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security personnel have borne a significant share of militant attacks in recent years. Continued assaults on police teams can affect routine policing as well as counterterrorism operations by requiring additional protection, reinforcements and intelligence resources in already sensitive districts.
Authorities are expected to provide further information on the condition of the wounded officers, the confirmed casualty count and progress in the search operation. Any claim of responsibility or identification of the attackers will also be closely watched as investigators work to establish who carried out the assault and whether it was linked to a wider militant network operating in the region.