At least 11 police officers, including a deputy superintendent, were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday when militants launched a coordinated assault on a checkpoint in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, using explosive-laden drones and heavy weapons. Fifteen attackers were killed in the hours-long gun battle. Deputies Superintendent Diyar Khan was among the dead; several police vehicles were set ablaze and an armoured personnel carrier was damaged.
Conflicting accounts placed the police death toll between nine and 11, with up to 28 officers hospitalised. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, though some reports indicated no immediate claim had surfaced and suspicion fell on the group.
The assault follows a suicide bombing in nearby Tank district on 24 July that killed at least 15 people. Authorities have launched a counterterrorism operation in the area.