Five cops were injured after terrorists launched a late-night attack on a police checkpost in Shaikh Landak area located within the Havaid police jurisdiction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, it emerged on Friday.

A statement released by the spokesperson for the regional police officer, Kashif Nawaz, said Fitna al Khawarij terrorists attacked the post late on Thursday night.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The statement said that police personnel showed courage, bravery and acted in a timely manner, managing to repel the attack.

“As a result of the effective and vigorous retaliatory fire by the police, the terrorists suffered heavy casualties,” the statement said. It said that the exchange of fire continued for three hours, adding that reports suggested that several terrorists had been killed and injured.

It added that armed tribesmen and members of the peace committee backed police personnel in the gunfight with the terrorists.

It added that during this process, five cops sustained “minor injuries” and were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

The statement said that on the instructions of Bannu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sajjad Khan, additional personnel reached the scene and surrounded the area.

It said that the Bannu DIG and District Police Office (DPO) Yasir Afridi praised the efforts of the police, and the courage and bravery of the people in the area.

The statement went on to say that the Bannu DPO later visited the injured cops at the hospital.

“Bannu police have once again proven that it stands as a strong wall in front of the enemies of peace. The war against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” the statement quoted him as saying.

The development came as the situation remained tense in the area on Thursday after at least seven people, including minors, were injured in a quadcopter attack carried out by terrorists on a playground during a football match.

Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terror activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan. The spike in incidents follow the TTP ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowing to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies.

In October, Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies said that violence had surged in the country over three months due to a spike in militant attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations.