Six terrorists and seven police personnel were killed in a fierce five-hour gun battle that erupted following a suicide attack at the Ratta Kulachi Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan district of Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.
The attack began late on Friday night when militants rammed an explosives-laden truck into the main gate of the training centre, triggering a massive explosion. Immediately after, attackers in various uniforms stormed the compound, opening indiscriminate fire and throwing hand grenades. Police personnel quickly retaliated, surrounding the attackers and launching a clearance operation.
During the operation, three terrorists were initially neutralised, and later, three more were killed. Security forces recovered suicide vests, modern weapons, explosives, and ammunition from the militants. Thirteen police personnel were injured and shifted to nearby hospitals.
According to Dera Ismail Khan Police Chief Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed and Regional Police Officer Syed Ashfaq Anwar, around 200 trainees, instructors, and staff members were present at the school during the assault. All were safely evacuated to secure locations.
The operation involved SSG commandos, Al-Burq Force, Elite Force, and local police. Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, confirmed that the area has been fully cleared and a search operation is ongoing to ensure no militants remain. He also paid tribute to the fallen officers and announced rewards for personnel involved in the mission.
The attack underscores the continued threat of militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which officials say has surged since 2021 following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry had on Friday issued a warning to terrorists and their facilitators, rejecting negotiations and emphasising that counter-terrorism operations, along with governance and law enforcement reforms, remain crucial to tackling militancy in the province.
Chaudhry highlighted that the National Action Plan (NAP), formulated after the 2014 Peshawar school attack and updated in 2021, stresses the use of force alongside measures to strengthen law and order, prosecute militants, and curb extremist narratives. He said failures in governance and security implementation, combined with cross-border terrorism, have contributed to the recent wave of attacks.
The Dera Ismail Khan assault is the latest in a series of high-profile attacks in the province. Security forces continue to pursue remaining threats, aiming to prevent further loss of life among civilians and law enforcement personnel.
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