In another gruesome attack, at least 14 military personnel, 18 militants and 3 civilians, including a child, were killed after militants from the banned TTP rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a checkpost in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
TTP claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide attack on the FC check post in the Bajaur district bordering Afghanistan. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “On February 16, a cowardly terrorist attack was attempted on security forces and law enforcement agencies’ joint check post in Bajaur District by Khwarij belonging to Fitna al Khwarij.”
‘Fitna-al-Khawarij’ is a term that the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The statement by ISPR added that 12 terrorists were eliminated after security forces retaliated and “engaged the fleeing ‘khwarij’ with precision”.
“In their desperation, the attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall. Due to the impact of the blast, infrastructure collapsed killing eleven..." ISPR elaborated that the blast affected residential buildings in the area as well, “leading to the killing of one innocent young girl.”
Another seven people were injured, including women and children. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other sponsored ‘kharji’ found in the area as a relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm e Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the statement added.
The development comes days after an additional station house officer was killed as terrorists attacked a police station in the War Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district. In December 2025, a major-ranked officer was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the district. KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year.
According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.
This marked an “absolute increase of 711 deaths, accounting for over 82 per cent of the net national rise and marking almost a 44 per cent year-on-year surge in violence in the province”.
In a statement, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, said the killing of security personnel in the terrorist attack, along with the tragic death of a child, is deeply saddening. He directed rescue agencies to carry out immediate and comprehensive relief operations following the blast. He added that the rescue efforts are being intensified to pull out those trapped under the debris.
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