Two Officials and 14 Militants Killed in Attacks and Counterterrorism Operations in Pakistan

At least two officials and 14 militants were killed in separate attacks and counterterrorism operations in northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, officials confirmed Wednesday, amid a surge in violence targeting security forces.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, militants attacked a police station and a customs office in the Dera Ismail Khan district late Tuesday night, killing one police officer and one customs official, according to local authorities. Two policemen and another customs official were also injured in the assaults.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern Balochistan province, at least 14 militants were killed in two separate operations conducted by security forces in Quetta and Barkhan, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said. Six militants were killed in Barkhan, while eight others were neutralized in Quetta, where three policemen were also injured during the operation.

Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with frequent attacks targeting security personnel, law enforcement, and government facilities. On Tuesday, authorities reported that 14 security personnel and a child were killed in a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in the Bajaur district, while security forces killed 12 militants following the blast. Separate operations also left four militants dead in Karachi, and at least three police officers and two militants were killed in a counter-militant operation in the Shangla district. On the same day, an improvised explosive device detonated in Bannu, killing at least two people and injuring 17 others.