Attackers forced the constable out of a rickshaw before opening indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot
KP Police. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
MIRANSHAH:
A police constable was shot dead by terrorists after being pulled from a rickshaw near Lora Bridge in Bannu on Monday while traveling to his duty station, District Police Officer (DPO) Bannu Yasir Afridi confirmed.
According to Afridi, Constable Umar Niaz Khan was on his way to DIG Bungalow where he was posted when unidentified armed terrorists intercepted the rickshaw carrying him near Lora Bridge.
He said the attackers forced the constable out of the vehicle before opening indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot. The assailants fled immediately after the attack.
Following the incident, the police and members of the local peace committee reached the spot, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to nab the attackers. Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene and have opened a homicide investigation.
Later, funeral prayers for Khan were offered with full official honors at Bannu Police Lines. The ceremony was attended by police officers, staff and other officials who paid tribute to the slain officer’s sacrifice.
Police also reiterated their commitment to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
The killing followed a new wave of terrorist violence in Bannu and the neighboring South Waziristan Lower District, where several attacks over the past week have underscored growing security concerns.
In South Waziristan, unidentified terrorists destroyed a government girls’ school in Sara Ghora area of Barmal Tehsil by planting explosives inside the building overnight, reducing the structure to rubble.
In another attack, terrorists used a quadcopter to drop two improvised explosive devices inside the premises of Haved police station, killing two Frontier Corps personnel and damaging two official vehicles.
Read: Wave of terror strikes Bannu, South Waziristan
In another incident, Nisar Ahmed, principal of Government High School in Mandiu area of Miryan Tehsil, was allegedly abducted by gunmen from the school premises, raising alarm among teachers and residents.
Bannu also witnessed other security incidents during the week. A suspected drone strike in Narmi Khel area under Bakakhel police station injured rickshaw driver Asifullah while two mortar rounds fired at Bannu Cantonment landed on the old ROD Ground causing panic but no casualties.
Separately, retired Frontier Corps official Ali Mar Khan was abducted from Jani Khel area.
KP remains a central focus of the country’s counter-terrorism efforts, with security forces regularly conducting IBOs against terrorists. The province saw a significant increase in militant violence last year, with more than 500 reported attacks, a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
According to a security assessment obtained by Express PakinomistKP recorded 1,588 terror-related incidents, underscoring the growing militancy threat across both settled and tribal districts. Despite the increase in attacks, security forces reportedly foiled 320 major attacks, while 137 police officers were killed in the line of duty.
Read more: Bannu’s misery
The report said joint operations by the KP Police, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security agencies led to the arrest of 1,244 suspected militants while 420 militants were killed in intelligence-based operations.
Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Hangu and Peshawar were among the districts most affected by militant violence, and the report noted a pattern of attacks allegedly planned and launched from across the Afghan border.
The CTD report also recorded a 56% increase in attacks targeting police personnel, rising from 327 in 2024 to 510 in 2025. During the year, security agencies conducted 2,791 search operations and identified 25 foreign militant agents, while extortion networks operating in Peshawar and other districts, according to the report.
