Twin militant attacks kill 3 police officers, wound 20 in northwest Pakistan
9 reported3 unconfirmed
Militants ambushed a security convoy and hours later a suicide bomber struck a police station in twin attacks in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, according to officials. The attacks occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a region bordering Afghanistan. Local police official Ibrahim Khan reported that the first attack in Upper Dir district killed three police officers and wounded 15 others. Hours later, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police station in Bannu, wounding at least five police officers and damaging part of the station. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, and Pakistan has accused the group of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, a charge both the TTP and the Taliban-led government in Kabul deny.
What’s reported
Twin attacks by militants occurred in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
First attack: militants ambushed a security convoy in Upper Dir district, killing three police officers and wounding 15 others.
Local police official Ibrahim Khan said security forces returned fire and the exchange was ongoing.
Khan did not say whether any militants had been killed or wounded.
Second attack: a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police station in Bannu, wounding at least five police officers and damaging part of the station.
No fatalities were immediately reported in the second attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.
Suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban.
Pakistan has accused the TTP of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, a charge both the TTP and the Taliban-led government in Kabul deny.
Open questions
Whether any militants were killed or wounded in the first attack.
Which group carried out the attacks, as no claim of responsibility was made.
The full extent of injuries and damage from the second attack.
Key figures
Ibrahim Khan, local police official in Upper Dir district.
Sources: abcnews.com
