Militants struck a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday night, killing at least 12 officers. Five others sustained injuries in the coordinated assault.
The attack unfolded in Fateh Khel, a town within Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police officials confirmed the details to reporters.
According to senior police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan, attackers detonated a suicide car bomb at the checkpoint. Armed gunmen then rushed the position and opened fire on personnel stationed there.
Khan noted the militants didn't rely only on explosives and gunfire. Quadcopters were deployed to intensify the assault on the police position.
After the initial barrage, the attackers withdrew from the scene. They reportedly took some police officers with them and seized weapons from the checkpoint.
One officer remains unaccounted for. Search operations are underway to locate him.
Security sources say at least 12 police personnel lost their lives in the operation. The incident marks the latest in a series of militant attacks plaguing the region.
Violence has surged across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent months, analysts say. Growing instability has strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring militants who launch cross-border operations. Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has repeatedly denied these allegations.
Pakistani authorities say investigations into Saturday's attack continue. Security operations in the area have been stepped up in response.
