Surge in attacks on Pakistani security forces highlighted by Swat and Hangu incidents

Pakistan's border provinces are witnessing a sharp rise in assaults on law‑enforcement personnel. This week alone, a suicide blast at a Swat police station killed seven and injured 18, while an earlier strike on the Khazana Banda checkpoint in Hangu district left nine police officers dead and 28 wounded. Inspector General Zulfikar Hameed linked the Swat attack to the militant group Fitna al Khawarij, a label used for operatives of the banned Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He said police responded swiftly, deploying additional forces and engaging gunmen, which resulted in the death of a Deputy Superintendent of Police and several other officers. The growing frequency of such attacks underscores the volatile security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighboring Balochistan.