24 Killed in Pakistan Checkpoint Attack

Email:online@newsofbahrain.com

Hangu: At least 24 people were killed after armed militants attacked a police checkpoint in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with security forces killing several of the attackers during a fierce gun battle.

Police said nine officers were killed and 26 others injured in the attack on the checkpoint in Hangu district. Security forces retaliated, killing 15 militants and wounding several others during the clash.

Authorities said an armoured personnel carrier and several police vehicles were heavily damaged in the assault.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid a surge in militant violence in the province bordering Afghanistan.

The latest assault follows another deadly attack on a security checkpoint in Tank district last week, where an explosives-laden vehicle struck a checkpoint, killing 15 security personnel and government officials. The military said 12 militants were killed in the subsequent operation.

Pakistan has repeatedly blamed the rise in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighbouring Balochistan on militants operating from Afghanistan, an allegation rejected by the Taliban government. The accusations have heightened tensions between the two countries, with Pakistan carrying out air strikes against what it says are militant targets across the border.

Pic Credit: AFP | File Image